Firm scraps plan to purchase Toyota land for data center south of Ann Arbor
Posted By: mlive on April 28, 2026. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
A real estate firm scrapped its plan to purchase more than 400 acres from Toyota for a hyperscale data center to power artificial intelligence and other computing technologies.
St. Louis-based firm Sansone Group had been eyeing about 412 acres of vacant land owned by Toyota in York Township, located south of Ann Arbor, north of Milan and east of Saline.
“Sansone Group, the firm that had a purchase option on the Toyota property here for a data center, withdrew their purchase agreement and have gone away,” township Supervisor Dave Ludwig said.
Toyota representatives informed Ludwig at the end of March the automaker had received official notice from Sansone Group that they were withdrawing, he said.
Toyota North America and Sansone Group representatives were not immediately available for comment Tuesday.
Toyota is trying to sell the land, which is located across from its Toyota Motor North American R&D Headquarters at 8777 S. Platt Road in the township. The land is on the west side of South Platt Road, between Bemis and Willis roads. It is zoned as a research park and used for agriculture.
Sansone Group was considering purchasing the land for a data center project, but the firm did not submit any official proposal to the township. They discussed a possible project with township officials and planners last year, according to township meeting minutes.
A previous asking price for the land was set at more than $22.6 million, according to a previous online real estate listing with CBRE that has since been taken down.
Toyota representatives recently met with township officials and discussed how to market the property in a way that aligns with the township’s vision for the site, Ludwig said.
“We had a brief discussion, some basic ideas,” of what types of developments could be a good fit for the Toyota property, he said.
“We may as well work together to find the right fit that we’re happy with as the township and let them market it accordingly,” he said.
He said basic ideas included a mixed-use development that might include some light industrial.
“Maybe a senior housing complex or medical type ventures,” Ludwig said.
The township would be open to housing, like a small subdivision, but officials don’t want to see the property “overrun” with only housing, he said.
It is unknown why Sansone Group is no longer pursuing the Toyota-owned land.
York Township officials voted unanimously March 10 to enact a six-month moratorium, a temporary pause, on data center proposals. The pause is giving township officials time to consider establishing local rules and regulations for data centers, which the township currently does not have in its zoning ordinance.
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