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Data Center Watch Report · ZIP 49022

Benton Harbor / Benton Township

Berrien

ProposedZIP 50.3% Blackpop 29,796

Proposed / Announced — ~$3 billion, ~280-acre AI data center eyed on Yore Avenue in Benton Charter Township; no named developer; state tax exemption needed; Yor

Researched: 2026-08-02 · Lead source: Brockovich AI Data Center community map (1 resident report, 2026-05-27) · ZIP demographics: 50.3% Black, pop 29,796 (Census ACS 2023) · County: Berrien (~15% Black, Census QuickFacts, approx.) Status: Proposed / Announced — ~$3 billion, ~280-acre AI data center eyed on Yore Avenue in Benton Charter Township; no named developer; state tax exemption needed; Yore Avenue road work underway 2026

This report is research, not legal, financial, real-estate, or investment advice.

0. Snapshot

A ~$3 billion, ~280-acre AI data center has been floated for Yore Avenue in Benton Charter Township, near Lake Michigan College, in ZIP 49022. It was pitched to Benton Harbor Area Schools board members in a March 28, 2024 workshop by State Rep. Joey Andrews and Berrien County Commissioner Chokwe Pitchford, with unanimous support from local officials and no publicly named developer. Backers cite southwest Michigan's nuclear power (the Cook plant, and Palisades restarting) and available water and land. Boosters project 1,000–2,000 jobs and ~$2.1M/year in property tax to the schools. As of mid-2026, Yore Avenue is being reconstructed (drainage + resurfacing), July–October 2026 — infrastructure consistent with preparing the corridor. Crucial context: the city of Benton Harbor endured a nationally covered lead drinking-water crisis (2018–2022); any large new industrial water demand in this ZIP is especially sensitive. Note the geography: the data center is in Benton Charter Township, which surrounds the city of Benton Harbor — they are different jurisdictions and different water systems, though both fall in 49022.

1. The Facility & Where It Sits

  • Location: ~280 acres of unused property along Yore Avenue, Benton Charter Township, near Lake Michigan College, ZIP 49022. (Herald-Palladium; WWMT; DCD; ABC57)
  • Developer: None publicly named as of 2026-08-02 — described only as an "AI data center" company; "many have showed interest."
  • Investment / size: Reported at ~$3 billion. Square footage/MW not disclosed.
  • Jurisdiction: Benton Charter Township (not the City of Benton Harbor). The township surrounds the city; both share the 49022 ZIP. Cross-check any contact to the township for this project.
  • Status: Proposed / Announced. Advocates said construction could start "later this year" (originally framed in 2024); state tax-exemption legislation was cited as a precondition. Yore Avenue road reconstruction is scheduled 2026-07-20 to 2026-10-09 (Berrien County Road Department), consistent with corridor prep.

2. Public Hearings & Notices

  • Benton Harbor Area Schools board workshop, 2024-03-28 — Rep. Joey Andrews and Commissioner Chokwe Pitchford presented the concept and projected school tax revenue. (Herald-Palladium; WWMT)
  • Benton Charter Township Board — the body with zoning/site-plan authority over Yore Avenue. Verify current agendas at bentonchartertwp.org (see §8). No specific rezoning case number or approval vote was found in public coverage as of 2026-08-02.
  • Berrien County and the state legislature/governor figure in because the enabling tax exemption (see §6) and any road/utility work run through county and state. Watch the township board and county commission agendas.
  • Yore Avenue construction notices (Berrien County Road Dept.): Phase 1 Meadowbrook Rd–Napier Ave 2026-07-20 to 2026-09-07; Phase 2 Townline Rd–Meadowbrook Rd 2026-09-07 to 2026-10-09.

3. Power

  • Serving utility: Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), an AEP company, serves Berrien County / southwest Michigan.
  • Local generation cited as the draw: the D.C. Cook Nuclear Plant (Bridgman, I&M, ~2,200 MW) and the Palisades Nuclear Plant (Covert, being restarted by Holtec — the first U.S. reactor restart) — advocates cite roughly 5,000 MW of nearby nuclear capacity as a reason the site can host a large load. (Herald-Palladium; WWMT)
  • Unresolved: No interconnection, substation, or large-load tariff detail was found for this specific project as of 2026-08-02. Michigan's large-load ratepayer-protection debate (playing out at the MPSC for DTE and Consumers) is the statewide backdrop; how I&M would treat this load, and who pays for grid upgrades, is not public.

4. Water & Drought

  • This is the charged issue. Benton Harbor's water is inseparable from the lead crisis: elevated lead was found in the city's drinking water in 2018; the response ran through 2021–2022 with state/federal emergency action, bottled-water distribution, and replacement of 6,000 lead service lines ($19–30M in state/federal funds). Unfiltered samples reached 77 ppb lead. (NRDC; EGLE; EPA; NPR)
  • Jurisdictional nuance: the lead crisis was the City of Benton Harbor municipal system. The data center is in Benton Charter Township, which is generally served by the township's water system — but the two are intertwined in public perception and geography, and residents are right to demand clarity on which system supplies the data center, how much, and whether township or city ratepayers subsidize any upgrades.
  • Cooling water source not disclosed for the Yore Avenue site (Lake Michigan proximity is often cited, but no permitted withdrawal figure is public). Ask for the withdrawal permit, source, volume, and discharge plan.
  • Drought: Berrien County was not in drought as of late July 2026 (≈2% of Michigan, 2026-07-21, U.S. Drought Monitor). Lake Michigan supply is large — but volume and the community's water-trust wound both matter.

5. Population & Who Lives Here

  • ZIP 49022: 50.3% Black, pop 29,796 (Census ACS 2023). The City of Benton Harbor is overwhelmingly Black and one of Michigan's poorest cities; surrounding Benton Township is more mixed; together the ZIP is just over half Black inside a Berrien County that is ~15% Black. The classic environmental-justice pattern: heavy new infrastructure aimed at the Black, low-income core of an otherwise-whiter county.
  • The lead crisis is the defining recent experience of environmental injustice here; poverty, disinvestment, and distrust of institutions over water are documented and central. Any promise about water and jobs will be judged against that history.

6. Money — Abatements, Incentives, Jobs

  • State tax exemption is a precondition: backers said the project needs Michigan's enterprise data center sales & use tax exemption (SB 237 / HB 4906, signed 2025-01-17) — which exempts qualifying equipment from sales/use tax through 2050, extended to 2065 for brownfield or former industrial-power sites. A bipartisan repeal package (Reps. DeSana, Wegela) is pending, so the incentive itself is contested statewide. (DCD; Inside Climate News; Sales Tax Institute)
  • Property tax: "property taxes will still apply." Coverage projected ~$2.1 million/year to Benton Harbor Area Schools at a $3B build cost.
  • Jobs: advocates projected 1,000–2,000 jobs, "no college degree required" — a notably higher jobs claim than most data centers deliver; treat as a projection to verify, since permanent data-center staffing is typically small (tens, not thousands; the thousands are usually temporary construction).

7. Community Reaction & News Coverage

  • Local outlets: Herald-Palladium (Benton Harbor/St. Joseph daily), WWMT (Newschannel 3), ABC57 (Michiana), plus DatacenterDynamics and EDRA of Michigan materials, and Convergence Magazine ("One Solution to Data Centers? Tax the Rich.") on the statewide incentive fight.
  • Local posture: unusually supportive among officials (unanimous), pitched on jobs and school revenue — different from the resident-led opposition seen in Oakland County and Detroit. Organized opposition specific to Yore Avenue was not found as of 2026-08-02, but the lead-crisis history means water questions will be prominent.
  • Named officials: State Rep. Joey Andrews, Berrien Co. Commissioner Chokwe Pitchford, Benton Charter Township Supervisor Cathy Yates.

8. Find Out For Yourself

  • Benton Charter Township (the jurisdiction over the Yore Ave site): 1725 Territorial Rd., Benton Harbor, MI 49022. Phone (269) 925-0616. Supervisor Cathy Yates; Clerk Carolyn Phillips. Board agendas: bentonchartertwp.org (Township Board page). ⚠️ Do not confuse with the other Benton Township in Eaton County (bentontownship.net) — wrong county.
  • Berrien County (Administration Center, 701 Main St., St. Joseph, MI 49085; berriencounty.org) — County Commission; Commissioner Chokwe Pitchford covers the Benton Harbor area. County Road Department (Yore Ave work): 2860 E. Napier Ave., Benton Harbor, MI 49022.
  • State Rep. Joey Andrews (Michigan House, SW Michigan district) — via house.mi.gov; a lead backer who can explain the tax-exemption dependency.
  • City of Benton Harbor (for water-system questions, distinct from the township): berriencounty.org/1599/City-of-Benton-Harbor; EGLE Benton Harbor water response: michigan.gov/egle/about/featured/benton-harbor.
  • Utility: Indiana Michigan Power (I&M / AEP) public affairs — indianamichiganpower.com. MPSC for large-load dockets: michigan.gov/mpsc.

Questions worth asking:

  1. Which water system supplies the data center — Benton Township's or Benton Harbor's — and what is the permitted withdrawal volume and source?
  2. Given the lead crisis, what independent guarantee protects residents' water quality, pressure, and rates from a large new industrial draw?
  3. Who is the actual developer, and is there a signed agreement or just interest?
  4. Are the "1,000–2,000 jobs" permanent or construction, at what wages, with what local-hire commitment for Benton Harbor residents?
  5. What does the community net after the state sales/use-tax exemption — and does the school revenue survive if the exemption is repealed?
  6. What air permit covers backup generators, and what are the noise/setback limits near homes and Lake Michigan College?

9. If You're Thinking About Moving Here

Honest read: 49022 is affordable and majority-Black, with Lake Michigan nearby — and it carries a fresh, nationally covered wound over lead in the drinking water. A very large (~$3B, ~280-acre) data center is being courted by local officials on Yore Avenue in Benton Charter Township, and the road there is being rebuilt in 2026, but there is no named developer, no disclosed water/power plan, and the whole thing hinges on a state tax break that some lawmakers want to repeal. The jobs numbers are unusually high for a data center and should be treated as unverified projections. If you'd live here, the water questions are not abstract — insist on written answers about source, volume, rates, and quality protections before trusting the pitch. Track the Benton Charter Township Board and Berrien County Commission agendas.

10. Sources

Lead source: resident reports on the Brockovich AI Data Center community map, then independently verified against public records. Research, not legal, financial, real-estate, or investment advice. Some resident-reported pins remain uncorroborated and are labeled as such above.