East Lansing plans to host a Data Week this October, featuring a series of data center, data science and AI-related events. According to East Lansing Principal Planner Landon Bartley, the programming will run from Oct. 19-23 and will span various locations across the city and Michigan State University.
The municipal push comes as city officials work to finalize permanent zoning regulations for data centers. The local government is utilizing the upcoming series of events to gather final community input before presenting draft ordinance language to the East Lansing City Council, with officials targeting a Nov. 17 introduction date.
Tentative Schedule for East Lansing Data Week
The planned week of events will incorporate multiple departments and academic centers to examine the technological, environmental, and policy implications of modern computing infrastructure. The tentative schedule begins on Monday, Oct. 19, with a presentation focusing on environmental impacts at the Commission on the Environment meeting, alongside a lunch-and-learn session hosted by the Center for Ethically and Socially Responsible Leadership at MSU.
Activities continue on Tuesday, Oct. 20, with an expected event hosted by the Quello Center at MSU. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the MSU Research Foundation will host a data science and AI summit at The Graduate. The schedule for Thursday, Oct. 22, features a cybersecurity class at the East Lansing Public Library followed by a tentative community meeting at the Hannah Community Center that evening.
“I expect a couple more orgs/events to still join on, but so far that’s the plan for Data Week. I’m hopeful that we can find a good speaker for COE that Monday,” Bartley said in an email to East Lansing Info.
Regulatory Framework and Zoning Constraints
The upcoming events follow months of work by a dedicated data center workgroup composed of representatives from public works, planning, and other municipal departments. The group met bi-weekly to study how other municipalities govern data facilities, reviewing environmental impacts and drafting specific policy recommendations. In August, the East Lansing City Council extended a six-month data center moratorium by another six months at the request of staff, pushing the expiration date to March 2027.
Municipal staff have consulted with MSU professors Erik Nordman from the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics and Jean Hardy from the Department of Media and Information regarding the drafted rules. While feedback was generally positive, the academics highlighted potential inconsistencies, suggested differentiating between facility scales, and advised on clean energy sourcing requirements necessary for statewide sales and use tax incentives.
A preliminary report presented by staff in August highlighted significant zoning constraints within East Lansing. Currently, the municipality features two industrial zones covering approximately eight parcels where a data center could legally be constructed under existing rules. Because of this limited footprint, any future development would likely require land rezoning, which would trigger additional public review.
To address these challenges, the workgroup has outlined six key policy recommendations. Among them is a requirement to replace “by right” approvals with a mandatory special-use permit and public hearing process, giving boards, commissions, and the City Council final authority after public input. Additionally, the workgroup is evaluating whether existing industrial zones remain appropriate for such facilities and is exploring mandates for green building practices, including closed-loop cooling systems designed to minimize water waste by continuously recycling the same water through internal loops.
Draft ordinance language is expected to be formally introduced at the Nov. 17 City Council meeting following the conclusion of Data Week.
