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has identified itself as the mystery company behind a prospective data center in a part of Michigan where locals have objected to such a development.
On Wednesday, Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure team was named in a letter, published by Lowell Charter Township, as the party eyeing a 237-acre lot beside Interstate 96. The township, with a population of around 6,500, is located 20 miles southeast of Grand Rapids.
The letter came after weeks of speculation about who was collaborating with developer Franklin Partners for the controversial project. Franklin, based in Illinois, had previously said it was working with a national company based in the U.S. to build a data center on the land.
In December, locals crowded into a planning commission meeting, where a public hearing on the proposed rezoning was on the agenda, leading to the postponement of the event. News outlet MLive reported that a Grand Rapids business owner appeared in a Mr. Peanut costume and held up a sign saying “This is nuts.”
