Kalamazoo commissioners agreed to draft a resolution addressing data centers’ public health and safety impacts, with a vote set for August 17.
The direction came out of the August 10, 2026 Committee of the Whole meeting, where City Attorney Aaron Leal walked commissioners through the legal framework for enacting a development moratorium, which is a tool cities use to temporarily pause new applications while they study and adopt regulations. Leal was clear about the limits: a moratorium is a pause, not a permanent block. Michigan’s Zoning Enabling Act prohibits cities from permanently banning lawful land uses, he explained, and courts generally view moratoriums lasting longer than a year with skepticism.
Commissioners spent much of the meeting debating timing and scope. Vice Mayor Drew Duncan initially pushed to bring a resolution to that same evening’s regular business meeting, pointing to repeated public comment against data centers over multiple recent meetings. “The community is patiently waiting for us to make a decision on this,” Duncan said.
Other commissioners cautioned against moving that quickly, noting the resolution hadn’t been published on the agenda in advance and that the public deserved notice and a chance to weigh in before a vote. Commissioner Chris Praedel added that the Planning Commission’s earliest opportunity to take up the matter would be the first week of September regardless, meaning a one-week delay wouldn’t cost the city meaningful time.
The commission settled on a two-track compromise. Staff will draft a resolution addressing public health, safety, and welfare concerns tied to data centers for consideration at the August 17 regular meeting. At the same time, staff will begin the longer zoning ordinance moratorium process, which requires Planning Commission review before returning to the City Commission for two readings, the same path required for any zoning ordinance amendment.
Commissioners directed staff to cover data centers, AI data centers, and crypto mining facilities under that moratorium, rather than addressing each separately. Battery storage came up as a related but potentially distinct category that could also need attention.
What’s next: The City Commission is expected to vote on the resolution at its August 17 meeting. The zoning ordinance moratorium process would follow separately, starting with the Planning Commission no earlier than the first week of September.
