University of Michigan Finalizes Purchase of 124-Acre Textile Road Parcel for Proposed $1.2B Los Alamos Computing Center

The University of Michigan finalized purchase of a 124-acre parcel on Textile Road in Ypsilanti Township, adjacent to a 20-acre parcel U-M already owned (144 acres combined), on the Huron River. The parcel is one of two sites U-M is reportedly still considering for a proposed data center — described by the university as a “high-performance computational research center” — developed jointly with Los Alamos National Laboratory. The other candidate site is at the Willow Run complex; as of this entry’s sources, no final site had been confirmed.

Project value is cited as $1.2 billion in this early reporting (later reporting, e.g. July 2026 coverage of the Civic Center meeting, cites $1.25 billion — treat as the same project with a modestly updated figure, not a discrepancy).

U-M’s vice president for government relations reportedly informed Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo of the land purchase via text message — a detail multiple outlets (Planet Detroit, Detroit News) highlighted as illustrative of the university’s opacity with the township on this project.

The university disputes “data center” and “nuclear weapons site” framing used by opponents; township officials and residents point to Los Alamos’s role as a nuclear-weapons laboratory and to plans for a 240,000-sq-ft classified building (per later, July 2026 reporting) as grounds for rejecting U-M’s framing. Community concerns reported include environmental impact on the Huron River, national-security risk, grid/water demand, and lack of transparency in the siting process.

See also: 2026-04-22--ycua-passes-water-sewer-moratorium-on-datacenters-resolution-26-08.md for the township’s subsequent water/sewer moratorium response, and Ypsilanti Township’s March 31, 2026 board resolution opposing siting anywhere in the township (not yet a standalone timeline entry — recommended as a follow-up).