OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Dozens of residents filled the South Lyon East High School auditorium Thursday night, questioning a data center that’s proposed for neighboring Lyon Township.

A project resident said it advanced without sufficient public input.

The Lyon Township Planning Commission in September approved a site plan with conditions for Project Flex, which is the data center.

“It’s scary,” resident Nancy Hopkins said. “It’s scary for us. We’re all very worried.”

Hopkins said she lives about a mile from where the facility would be, on several parcels between Milford Road and South Hill Road.

Hopkins and other residents said they are concerned about potential environmental impacts, including water use, noise, and possible health effects on nearby residents.

“Think about the water usage,” Hopkins said, adding that she worries about her husband. “What’s going to happen to my husband? He has heart issues.”

Residents with those concerns were able to listen to a panel of four experts whose fields ranged from decades of experience in the data center to environmentalism.

They outlined potential drawbacks the center could bring, how many permanent local jobs it would bring, and what happens to the massive centers once they’re no longer usable.

They also outlined benefits, saying it could generate money for the town.

After presentations, residents lined up to ask questions they said had gone unanswered by local officials and the project’s developers.

Organizers said they hoped the session would better prepare residents for an upcoming meeting that is expected to include representatives of the data center’s owners.

Hopkins said that the meeting is scheduled for next Thursday (Jan. 22) at the same auditorium.

Lyon Township officials did not attend Thursday’s community gathering.

But they did release a statement last week online that reads in part: “Lyon Township remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting the safety, health, and welfare of its residents. All stages of the Project Flex review will be guided by these priorities.”

The full statement can be read below.