Company Proposes Gigawatt Data Campus near Kalkaska, Sparks Debate

A Traverse City company outlined plans this week for a large data center campus near Kalkaska, drawing strong local interest as officials and residents weighed potential economic gains against environmental risks. Geologist Matt Rine of Rocklocker held three community forums aimed at explaining the proposal, including a Nov. 17 session at 5:30 p.m. at the Garfield Township Branch Library in Fife Lake in Grand Traverse County, a Thursday evening presentation at the Coldsprings Township Branch Library in Mancelona, and a noon briefing for the Kalkaska County Commission on Aging.

The proposal envisions a gigawatt sized hyperscale data campus occupying 1,440 acres of state land, with substantial on site power infrastructure including a dedicated power plant and a carbon capture and storage system. Company and local leaders have framed the project as a potential economic anchor for a sparsely populated region, estimating it could bring hundreds of jobs and inject tens of millions of dollars into local tax coffers.

Support from Kalkaska officials reflects the appeal of a new tax base and construction and operations employment in a rural economy that has limited new industry. For Grand Traverse County residents, the forums provided a nearby opportunity to hear technical and economic details and to pose questions about how a project of this scale would affect regional services and quality of life.

Critics at the meetings pointed to a broad set of concerns. Opponents flagged potential stresses on water resources, impacts to habitat and the landscape across more than a thousand acres, added wear to local roads from construction traffic, and the long term consequences of converting large parcels of state land to industrial use. The inclusion of a carbon capture and storage system raises additional questions about permitting, ongoing monitoring, and long term liability.

The proposal sits at the intersection of several broader trends shaping rural economies and energy policy. Large cloud providers and data center developers have increasingly sought rural sites that can accommodate expansive campuses and steady power draws. At the same time, regulatory scrutiny of water withdrawals, land use approvals for state owned parcels, and oversight of carbon capture projects has intensified nationwide. Locally, utilities and permitting authorities will need to evaluate grid impacts and ensure infrastructure can handle a gigawatt scale load without disrupting service for residents.

For Grand Traverse County neighbors, the immediate implications are practical and fiscal. Potential tax revenue and employment gains must be balanced with infrastructure costs, environmental review timelines, and the community preferences revealed at the forums. Rocklocker designed the presentations to help residents and officials understand technical specifics and to collect public input as the proposal advances through whatever permitting and land use processes lie ahead.