Billionaire-Backed Data Center Wins Out Over Local Vote in Saline Township
Saline Township residents initially rejected a 575-acre, 21-million-square-foot data center proposed by Related Digital, a Steven Roth–backed developer, but were forced to approve it after a lawsuit and potential bypass via the University of Michigan; the project—tied to OpenAI and Oracle under the Stargate AI initiative—highlights how wealthy interests can override local votes in AI infrastructure expansion.
