By William Mears, CCIM, SIOR April 28, 2026

Wayne Gretzky’s line still holds: I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been. That is a useful mindset as we think about the future of the former GM site.

As Greg Ip noted in a recent Wall Street Journal article, “America Is Seeing a Stealth Boom in Manufacturing,” demand is helping drive new strength in sectors tied to AI, semiconductors, networking, power, and cooling equipment. That is worth keeping in mind as we think about where the next wave of demand may be headed.

From my standpoint as a commercial real estate broker focused on industrial property, data centers should be part of that conversation.

The former GM site gives us an important historical lesson. When it operated as an assembly plant, it did more than occupy a large parcel. It attracted suppliers and related users that wanted to be close to a major production node. Companies like Lear Seating followed that logic. The plant was not simply a stand-alone use. It functioned as an economic magnet that helped pull in surrounding industrial activity.

Data centers are obviously different from auto assembly, but the broader principle is similar. Major infrastructure uses often create follow-on demand around them. Data centers require specialized equipment, replacement hardware, power systems, cooling systems, maintenance support, and logistics coordination. They may not be industrial in the traditional sense, but they can help drive industrial demand tied to their operations.

That is why they deserve serious consideration in any discussion about the future of a large redevelopment site.

The Journal article points out that much of today’s manufacturing strength is being driven by demand tied to artificial intelligence, semiconductors, networking, power equipment, and cooling systems. In other words, the market is sending a pretty clear signal about where capital, production, and infrastructure investment are moving. That does not automatically make the former GM site a data center site, but it does mean uses tied to digital infrastructure should be evaluated as part of any realistic long-term strategy.

For the former GM site, that is the real point. We should not limit our thinking to traditional industrial recruitment alone. We should also be asking whether the site can compete for the kinds of uses that align with where demand is headed and whether those uses could, in turn, support additional warehousing, equipment staging, maintenance operations, and other related industrial activity nearby.

The future of this site may not look exactly like its past, but the development pattern is familiar. Important uses create ecosystems. Years ago, that meant auto assembly and suppliers. Going forward, it may mean digital infrastructure and the industrial uses that support it.

As we explore the next chapter for the former GM site, data centers should be viewed not as a fringe idea or a political flashpoint, but as one of the serious market-driven possibilities that merits objective evaluation. Good site strategy is not about chasing yesterday’s demand. It is about recognizing where the market is going and making sure the conversation keeps up.