Hundreds of Inkster residents packed a city meeting Monday night as officials weighed final approval for a proposed data center that would rise just 100 feet from homes on Weithoff Court. The 40,000-square-foot facility, pitched by Klever Technology Center LLC at 27181 Southern Street near Inkster Road and Michigan Avenue, has become the latest flashpoint in a statewide fight over where server farms belong.
The meeting was expected to start at 7 p.m., and FOX 2 Detroit reported that its crew arrived at 6 p.m. to find the parking lot empty; it filled afterward. City officials could grant the project final approval Monday night, the station reported, capping a process that began October 12 when the Inkster Planning Commission voted 6-1 to recommend conditional approval for the special land use case and site plan, according to meeting records filed with Govly. Planning staff attached a condition to that recommendation: outstanding technical and environmental studies would still need to be resolved before final sign-off, per the same filing.
Why a Vacant Warehouse Sparked a Neighborhood Revolt
The proposed site sits approximately 100 feet from residential homes, and residents have raised concerns about potential round-the-clock noise and backup generator emissions tied to converting the light industrial building.
Klever Technology has pitched the project as transforming a vacant warehouse into a major investment. Developer submissions presented during the planning process projected $75 million in facility improvements and up to $250 million worth of server and technical equipment housed on-site, while generating an estimated 90 to 100 development and operational jobs, per the Govly filing. That capital figure dwarfs the long-term staffing the site would ultimately support once construction wraps.
A Statewide Pattern of Deals and Backlash
Inkster's debate is unfolding against a backdrop of rapid data center expansion across Southeast Michigan. In nearby Van Buren Township, officials approved a final site plan for a Google enterprise data center on October 14, days after the Wayne County Board of Commissioners voted on October 1 to override a county executive veto over the project's tax incentives, according to a statement from the Wayne County Commission. Further north along the Inkster Road corridor, Southfield leaders approved a site plan for a 100-megawatt, $1.5 billion Metrobloks data center on 13 acres near Interstate 696, as detailed by The Gander.
That momentum is colliding with a wave of local resistance. More than 50 Michigan municipalities have enacted temporary data center moratoriums or scrambled to update zoning codes to evaluate impacts on water supplies, electrical grid capacity, and residential noise, Hoodline previously reported. Just across Wayne County, Dearborn advanced a six-month moratorium on new data centers in September to study energy and water consumption demands, a markedly different path than the one Inkster now faces.
State Tax Breaks Fuel the Rush
Much of the current building boom traces back to Lansing. Michigan Public Acts 181 and 207 of 2024, which took effect in April 2025, exempt qualified enterprise data centers from the state's 6% sales and use taxes on eligible equipment and construction purchases, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Hoodline has reported that state lawmakers introduced a separate Senate bill package in June.
The tax incentives help explain why Inkster might welcome a $75 million project despite the backlash. Local officials are weighing potential tax base growth against the quality-of-life concerns voiced by residents living closest to the proposed site.
Monday's meeting marked the next step after the Planning Commission's 6-1 recommendation, but key technical and environmental impact studies remain outstanding, leaving open questions about utility demands and enforcement mechanisms ahead of any final council action, according to the Govly meeting record.
