Microsoft Gaines Township data center
Caledonia, Kent County, MIDeveloper: Microsoft
- Rumored
- Proposed
- Approved
- Under construction
- Operating
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Microsoft proposes a data center campus near Patterson Avenue SE and 76th Street SE in Gaines Township, south of Grand Rapids, on land that includes about 316 acres bought from Steelcase in 2024. It is seeking to rezone additional parcels, about 104 acres across five parcels by April 2026, to light industrial. After a third public hearing on April 15, 2026, the township Planning Commission tabled the decision.
Key facts
Size & schedule
| Site size | 316 acres [3] already-zoned land bought in 2024 for $45.3 million; about 104 more acres proposed for rezoning |
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How big is that? Data center sizes compared with football fields and Central Park.
Power
| Utility | Consumers Energy [5] Utility pages: Consumers Energy · data centers and bills |
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Water
| Water source | Byron-Gaines Water System (municipal); Microsoft says it will not withdraw groundwater [5] |
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Money & incentives
| Tax incentives | Microsoft says it will not seek local property tax abatements [5] |
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Local decisions & site
| Parcel / address | 7147 Patterson Avenue; 6900 East Paris Avenue; 4233, 4367 and 4645 76th Street [7]Source excerpt“7147 Patterson Avenue, Conditional Rezone from Steelcase PUD-LSP to Light Industrial • 6900 East Paris Avenue, Rezoning from Steelcase PUD-LSP to Light Industrial • 4233 76th Street, 4367 76th Street, and 4645 76th Street, Rezoning from Agricultural/Rural Residential to Light Industrial” |
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| Noise limit | 65 dBA [5] Offered condition: not to exceed 65 dBA at property lines abutting residentially zoned or residential-use parcels during normal operations Source excerpt“datacenter operations will not exceed 65 dBA at property lines abutting property residentially zoned or having an existing residential use during normal operations” |
| Noise limit | 85 dBA [5] Offered condition: not to exceed 85 dBA at those residential property lines during emergency generator use Source excerpt“and 85 dBA at property lines abutting property residentially zoned or having an existing residential use during events of emergency generator use” |
Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.
Water and power
Water
Not disclosed. No source reviewed gives a water figure for this site. The Census does not estimate one.
Power
| Utility | Consumers Energy [5] |
|---|
Disclosed figures only, each as the cited source states it. Many are projections or permit limits, not metered use. How data center water and power use is measured, and every disclosed figure →
Timeline
Microsoft buys about 316 acres in Gaines Township (confirmed October 2024) [1]
Microsoft buys a 40.5-acre parcel at 7147 Patterson Ave. SE for $9.7 million [3]
Planning Commission meeting on rezoning adjourned after overflow crowd [2]
Third public hearing on rezoning of about 104 acres; Planning Commission tables decision [4]
Issues raised
- Hundreds of residents attended hearings, many opposed; some requested a moratorium [4]
- Residents questioned vague 'fair share' electricity cost language and enforceability of commitments [4]
- Microsoft offered a 65 dBA noise cap at residential property lines, 150-foot setbacks and an 8-foot berm [4][5]
Issues are concerns and claims raised by the parties, officials or residents named in the cited sources. They are reported as attributed, not as findings by the Census.
Sources
- Microsoft confirms major land purchase in Kent Co. for possible data centerFOX 17 · Oct 21, 2024 · news
- Microsoft plans data center campuses in Dorr and Lowell Townships, MichiganDatacenterDynamics · Jan 8, 2026 · news
- Microsoft asks Gaines Township to delay vote on data center rezoningCrain's Grand Rapids Business · 2026 · news
- Microsoft data center decision on hold after hours-long public hearing in Gaines TownshipWWMT · Apr 16, 2026 · news
- Gaines Township proposed data center: What to know before the April 15 public hearingWWMT · Apr 9, 2026 · news
- Consumers Energy on Microsoft AI data center in Gaines Township ahead of public hearingWWMT · Apr 14, 2026 · news
- Minutes of the Gaines Charter Township Planning Commission, April 15, 2026Gaines Charter Township · Apr 15, 2026 · government
Cite this page
Last updated Oct 13, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.
| APA | Data Center Census. (2026). Microsoft Gaines Township data center. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/microsoft-gaines-township-mi |
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| MLA | “Microsoft Gaines Township data center.” Data Center Census, Oct 13, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/microsoft-gaines-township-mi. |
| Link | https://datacentercensus.com/dc/microsoft-gaines-township-mi |
Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.