YPSILANTI TWP., MI - The University of Michigan is purchasing 124 acres in Ypsilanti Township as a possible site for the Los Alamos project.
The university’s Board of Regents authorized the purchase last June but has moved forward with finalizing the purchase of the parcel of land on Textile Road in Ypsilanti Township, according to a UM spokesperson.
Officials are still mulling between two sites for the “high performance computational research facility” that many township residents have fiercely criticized.
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“This purchase does not represent a final determination of where the facility will be located,” UM spokesperson Paul Corliss said in a statement. “Securing the Textile Road parcel ensures the university maintains access to this viable option as due diligence continues. The site selection process remains active, with no established timeline for a site selection decision.
The other possible location is the Willow Run complex.
The Textile Road site is next to a nearly 20-acre parcel previously acquired by the university, officials said.
“As with other strategic acquisitions, this purchase ensures the university has the flexibility and land resources necessary to support its academic, research and long-term institutional needs,” Corliss said.
The project, which residents have commonly referred to as a data center despite the university’s objections to that label, has seen community pushback.
Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo previously criticized what she called a lack of transparency from UM officials.
“Transparency and accuracy, truth and honesty, I mean that’s all people are looking for,” Stumbo said.
The university remains in communication with Ypsilanti Township officials regarding the Los Alamos plans, Corliss said.
The other main concerns Ypsilanti residents have raised were over the environmental dangers, Los Alamos’s classified national security work, utility rates and the project’s long-term prospects.
UM officials addressed some of these concerns in a February town hall that also drew some local criticism.
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