Holt residents to decide fate of proposed $10 billion data center

A 423-acre parcel of land just west of US Highway 127 in the unincorporated community of Holt has become the center of a new debate over data center development in Michigan. Local officials announced Tuesday that they are considering siting a massive facility on the property, but the project is far from finalized. The developers are testing a new strategy that prioritizes public input before any formal applications are filed.

Bob Trezise, president and CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, stated that the group is announcing a process rather than a finished project. The site is owned by a holding company linked to rental housing developer DTN Management. LEAP has held an option to buy the land since 2024, when it secured a $6.5 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. to prepare the site for industrial use.

The proposed facility would cost approximately $10 billion and operate at up to 1-gigawatt capacity. Organizers estimate the project would increase the local property tax base by roughly $53 million and create 1,000 temporary construction jobs and 100 permanent full-time positions. To gain further community support, the developers committed $20 million to a community benefits fund.

The development team, which includes Lighthouse Sustainability, aims to power the facility with clean energy. The plan involves an agreement with Resilience Energy to install solar panels and batteries on local rooftops. Participating residents would sell the power output to Lighthouse, potentially lowering their energy bills by up to 50 percent. The company also intends to build a closed-loop cooling system that uses minimal water and has committed to paying full freight for the electricity it consumes.

The decision to proceed with the project will depend on the outcome of a series of public meetings and advisory committee gatherings. The first session, a 6:30 p.m. webinar, was scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27. Delhi Township Manager Tracy Miller confirmed that local officials had no prior knowledge of the proposal and stated that they would not sign any non-disclosure agreements. The township currently has a 12-month moratorium on data centers that expires in April.

Gary Dorris, co-founder and CEO of Lighthouse, described the proposal as an opportunity to create tremendous value for the community. He noted that the company has two gigawatts of projects in its pipeline but has not yet identified an end user for the Holt site. Paul Saferstein, Lighthouse’s chief financial officer, said the company has fielded interest from multiple firms. The announcement follows a period of national pushback, during which local opposition blocked or delayed roughly $130 billion in data center projects in the first quarter of 2026.

The approach contrasts with previous Michigan developments where plans were often kept secret until land use applications were ready for submission. Environmental justice organizer Michelle Martinez noted that many residents felt blindsided by the scope and speed of earlier projects. LEAP officials argue that by engaging the community now, they are addressing those concerns directly.