At their Aug. 18, 2026, meeting, members of the Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved a land-use moratorium limiting major electric utilities infrastructure in the area, a move that impacts the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory research data center plotted for Textile and Bridge roads.
The decision comes after U-M announced last week that it had selected a preferred location for the project, which it describes as a computing research facility. U-M previously considered both the Textile Road plot, which the university confirmed purchase of in March, and a location shared with the American Center for Mobility near Willow Run Airport.
In addition to the center, which includes a U-M facility focused on academic research and a classified research facility for LANL's work, the project includes an electrical substation. According to a news release from U-M, the university will partner with DTE Energy to build a dedicated, on-site substation to support the data center project.
The moratorium places a six-month pause on land use for the establishment or substantial expansion of a major electric utility facility. Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo said this will allow time for the township to evaluate and adopt appropriate ordinances that regulate the kind of infrastructure required to power projects, such as the U-M and LANL facility.
Township leadership has been clear in its opposition to the U-M and LANL facility, vowing to fight the center, even as the university confirmed the project site. The Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority previously issued its own moratorium in April, hitting the brakes on supplying water and sewage services for data centers for 12 months.
"We have an obligation to protect the residents and to be transparent, and so does DTE," Stumbo said. "So when we know these things are coming, we will have public hearings, so people are aware. We will zone them in districts that are more appropriate than right across from a new business and from an apartment complex that has 200-plus people."
The selected site for the U-M project has received particular scrutiny from township leaders and residents due to its local adjacent to South Hydro Park and the Huron River. During the meeting, members of the public voiced concerns about the project, including its potential for environmental impact.
The moratorium is a temporary land-use measure, and does not "regulate electric utility rates, service territories, electric reliability standards, the generation or sale of electricity, or any matter within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Michigan Public Service Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or other state or federal agency," meeting materials stated.
While the University of Michigan, a public educational institution, is exempt from local zoning laws under the Michigan Constitution, DTE is a publicly traded corporation that must follow township ordinances and be held accountable, township attorney Doug Winters told The Eastern Echo.
A representative from DTE could not be immediately reached for comment.
On Aug. 18, Ypsilanti Township trustees approved a land-use moratorium aimed at electric utilities that power data centers and other major infrastructure.
