Macomb Defenders Rising (MDR) is an Indivisible-affiliated movement, committed to protecting communities and advocating for policies that advance justice, equity, and environmental responsibility — which is why we’re speaking out on a project that impacts Washington Township families. We appreciate the opportunity to comment on Prologis’ proposal for a 312-acre data center campus in Washington Township.
On Thursday, December 11th, MDR co-founder and executive director Katrina Manetta and several other members were among the packed room of concerned residents at a hearing regarding this data center. Manetta and countless others voiced their opposition to this proposal, citing environmental concerns, utilities costs, corporate accountability, and impacts to the quality of life for nearby residents.
This is not just a question of development – it is about the lives and wellbeing of all that live here, including the wildlife and the land that sustains us all. Washington Township is the traditional land of the Mississauga, Wyandot, Sauk, and Potawatomi. This territory was ceded in the Treaty of Detroit in 1807, but before and since then, settlers have destroyed countless burial mounds and desecrated the land. How much more will this data center tarnish the land? Data centers use an enormous amount of water, often millions of gallons a day, to cool their servers. We have been told this would not come from groundwater, but have been given no guarantees or answers as to where it will come from instead. Additionally, this data center would create noise and air pollution that would harm wildlife and nearby residents. Too often, without enforced regulations, corporations consume community resources and pollute the land, air, and water without any regard as to how it impacts us.
We are already facing rising costs for food, housing, healthcare, and electricity. Again, we have been told that the cost of this massive usage of water and electricity would not be placed on residents. However, without a guarantee, we know from past cases that Prologis will likely shift the costs of powering this data center onto residents.
Prologis’s business model is built on a well-established pattern of “capital recycling.” They build the project, lease it to hyperscalers like Google, and then sell the stabilized asset for quick profit—$2.2 billion divested just last year. That means that they would put up this data center, lease it, and walk away—leaving Washington Township stuck with the long-term impacts while a new owner has no obligation to honor any promises made to the community. They profit. We foot the bill.
In addition to the risks to our environment and wallets, we are also concerned about the unregulated expansion of technology. Extensive personal data collection is already rampant. We have already seen massive digital security breaches of personal information which will only accelerate as more data is collected, coupled with the intentional surveillance by these companies. Time has shown we cannot trust billionaires with our personal information. They exploit us and manipulate the information given back to us. Is the expansion of unregulated tech worth the harms to our communities?
Beyond all the other factors, the impact on the community is profound. The industrial footprint of a 312-acre facility brings noise (well above the threshold considered harmful), constant lighting, traffic, and fundamentally alters the rural character of this township—disruptions that residents will feel in their daily lives for decades to come. Not to mention how research has shown that air pollution from the fossil fuels that power data centers emit hazardous pollutants that increase rates of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular conditions, and elevated cancer risks in nearby communities – that nearby community is Washington Township.
For these financial, environmental, and social reasons, we urge the Commission to reject this rezoning outright. Washington Township residents should not subsidize corporate tech at the expense of their water, electricity, and quality of life.
Thank you for your time and willingness to listen.
Sources Cited:
“Prologis, Inc. (PLD): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money” DCFModeling.com, November, 2025, dcfmodeling.com/blogs/history/pld-history-mission-ownership
“Prologis, Inc.: Strategy and Portfolio Overview of a Global Logistics REIT” MMCG Invest, September, 2025, www.mmcginvest.com/post/prologis-inc-strategy-and-portfolio-overview-of-a-global-logistics-reit
Sanders, Demetrios. “Macomb County residents pack zoning meeting to oppose proposed data center” WXYZ Detroit ABC, December 2025, https://www.wxyz.com/news/macomb-county-residents-pack-zoning-meeting-to-oppose-proposed-data-center
Tao, Yu & Peng Gao, “Global data center expansion and human health: A call for empirical research” Elsevier, Eco-Environment & Health Volume 4, Issue 3, September 2025, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772985025000262