Vevay Township Declines Mason Data Center 425 Agreement

On June 10, 2026, the Vevay Township Board voted unanimously not to pursue a Public Act 425 agreement with the City of Mason — the conditional land-transfer deal that would have cleared the most direct path for a proposed data center at 3388 W. Columbia Road. The vote, taken before a large and often heated crowd, does not by itself end the project. But it closes the simplest route forward and pushes any next step into a longer, harder process.

What the Board Decided

The question in front of the township was whether to open negotiations with Mason on a 425 agreement covering land on the city's edge. The board declined unanimously. Township Treasurer Christopher Lewis noted that the township still does not know who the proposed end user of the project would be — the developer has not been publicly identified — and residents at the meeting raised concerns about infrastructure capacity, water usage, and the loss of rural land, according to reporting by WILX News 10.

What a 425 Agreement Is

Public Act 425 of 1984 lets two Michigan municipalities agree to conditionally transfer land for an economic development project and share the tax revenue it generates. For Mason, the agreement would have allowed the proposed data center to use city utilities while sitting on land that is currently part of Vevay Township.

City officials described the stakes ahead of the vote in reporting by WKAR: a minimum taxable investment of $500 million, with roughly $7.6 million a year in projected new tax revenue against the city's current $4.3 million base. The city also indicated the agreement would have carried over noise, screening, and setback safeguards from a data-center zoning ordinance Mason previously repealed after community opposition.

Why the Township Said No

The objections voiced at the meeting track the concerns we see in data-center fights across Michigan: water demand, strain on local infrastructure, permanent conversion of farmland, and — distinctive here — the fact that nobody negotiating for the project would say who the end user actually is. Mason also arrives at this vote with history: its earlier data-center ordinance was repealed after organized community opposition, and local officials' data-center votes drew a reported recall effort earlier this year.

Our Michigan data center tracker follows this proposal alongside the moratoria and zoning reviews underway in townships statewide, with sources for every entry.

What Happens Next

With the 425 route declined, the remaining path runs through annexation: the property's owners can seek to have the acreage annexed into the City of Mason, a formal process before the State Boundary Commission that can take years to resolve. That process has its own notice and public-input requirements — which means the residents who filled the township hall this week will have more opportunities to be heard.

If you live in Vevay Township, Mason, or a neighboring community, the practical playbook does not change: watch the township and city agendas, show up during public comment, and understand the zoning tools available before the next application lands. Our data center zoning guide explains what a protective ordinance should include and the rights residents have at each stage.

This article reflects public reporting as of June 11, 2026, and the facts may develop. It is informational and is not legal advice.