Saline Township stemt tegen megadatacentrum, bouw begint toch weken later

Despite Saline Township, Michigan voting down a $16 billion OpenAI-Oracle data center in September, construction began just weeks later following a developer lawsuit and settlement. The 21 million square-foot facility, opposed by local residents, proceeded despite the town's rejection, illustrating how AI companies with substantial legal and financial resources can overcome municipal resistance. The case demonstrates the limited leverage local governments have against large-scale data center projects due to zoning constraints and negotiating imbalances.