The Township Board enacted a ten-month moratorium on any data center in Lincoln Charter Township, temporarily preventing new data-center development or applications during the moratorium period. enact a ten-month moratorium on any data center

If a data center is treated as an unclassified use, the Zoning Administrator must evaluate its potential traffic, congestion, noise, odors, dust, litter, and similar impacts, and the Planning Commission must determine whether it is sufficiently similar to a permitted use. If it is not contemplated or specified by the ordinance, the use is prohibited. such use shall be prohibited

If a data center is classified as similar to a special land use, it requires Planning Commission review and approval as a special use, with conditions addressing compatibility, public services, traffic, noise, and other impacts. The Planning Commission shall determine whether or not a proposed use is similar

New developments and major expansions require a detailed site plan; special land uses also require one. The plan must generally be prepared by a Michigan-licensed professional and may require twelve copies, engineering and utility information, lighting and drainage plans, and other specified materials. New developments and major expansions shall require a detailed site plan

For complex projects or uses with potentially significant impacts, the Township may require an environmental assessment, traffic impact study, or market study, with the applicant responsible for supplying the required analysis and potentially paying for independent Township review. may require any or all of the following reports or studies

Before approval of a detailed site plan, the applicant must provide documentation of required outside-agency approvals, which may include the Drain Commissioner, Road Commission, Health Department, County Planning Commission, environmental authorities, FEMA, and MDOT. Prior to approval of a detailed site plan

The Township may require a cash deposit, certified check, irrevocable letter of credit, or surety bond to ensure compliance with an approved site plan and its conditions, up to the estimated cost of fulfilling those requirements. may require a cash deposit, certified check, irrevocable bank letter of credit, or surety bond

A site plan approval is valid for one year; if a zoning permit is not obtained and on-site development has not commenced within that period, the approval becomes void and a new site-plan application is required, subject to possible written extensions. Approval of the site plan shall be valid for a period of one (1) year

A data center project would have to comply with the Township's general review standards, including adequate infrastructure and emergency access, mitigation of impacts on neighboring properties, stormwater management, compatibility with surrounding uses, and preservation of natural features. Whether the streets and highways

Outdoor lighting for a data center would be regulated: light must be shielded and directed onto the site, light intensity at property lines may not exceed one foot-candle, fixtures generally may not be mounted higher than twenty feet, and flashing or similar lighting is prohibited. The light from any illumination source

The Township may impose operating conditions on a classified special use, including limits or requirements addressing public services, natural-resource protection, compatibility with neighboring uses, traffic, noise, vibration, smoke, emissions, glare, and odors. The Planning Commission may establish reasonable conditions of approval

The zoning ordinance allows a use similar to a permitted-by-right use to be approved under the Township’s unclassified-use process, potentially allowing a data center to proceed without a zoning-text amendment if the Zoning Administrator and Planning Commission determine that it is sufficiently similar. The process requires review of traffic, congestion, noise, odors, dust, litter, and compatibility; a use not contemplated by the ordinance may instead be prohibited. Uses similar to permitted uses

The Light Industrial and Heavy Industrial districts list research, testing and laboratory uses, professional offices, warehouses, and related industrial activities as permitted-by-right uses, providing potential zoning classifications for a data-center project if it satisfies the ordinance’s similarity and district requirements. The industrial districts also require a minimum 20,000-square-foot lot, allow up to 70% lot coverage, and permit buildings up to 40 feet high. Light Industrial permitted uses

The ordinance provides a special-use pathway for uses similar to listed special land uses. A data center that is not treated as a permitted-by-right use could potentially be reviewed through this process, subject to Planning Commission findings on compatibility, infrastructure, public services, traffic, noise, and other impacts. Uses similar to special land uses

For projects requiring a detailed site plan, the Zoning Administrator must decide within 100 days after receiving a complete application, and the ordinance allows review by relevant outside agencies such as the County Road Commission, Drain Commissioner, Health Department, MDOT, and environmental agencies. This creates a defined permitting timetable and coordination process for qualifying data-center projects. decisions by the Zoning Administrator shall be made within one hundred (100) days