County initiates process to enact data centers moratorium
The Sawyer County zoning committee has voted to begin the process of enacting an 18-month moratorium on data centers. This decision comes after a previous attempt to regulate data centers was sent back for reconsideration, highlighting the complexity of drafting effective ordinances. Legal counsel will assist in drafting the moratorium language, which will be subject to a public hearing.
The Sawyer County zoning committee has voted to initiate the process of enacting an 18-month moratorium on data center development within the county. Zoning Administrator Jay Kozlowski will draft the necessary language and plans for a public hearing as early as next month, pending consultation with county legal counsel.
This move follows the county board's decision to return a basic data center regulation to the zoning committee for further review. That earlier proposal, which aimed to define data centers and restrict them to industrial zones with conditional use requirements, was deemed potentially problematic due to its definition of data centers. Kozlowski indicated that crafting effective regulations requires more time, suggesting that state regulations or other county ordinances in Wisconsin might serve as models.
Legal Counsel Rebecca Roeker noted the absence of definitive legal guidance or model ordinances for data centers at present, also clarifying that counties typically lack statutory authority to regulate power or water consumption, which are common concerns related to data centers. In a related action, the zoning committee also directed Kozlowski to work with legal counsel and County Administrator Mike Markgren to issue a new Request for Proposals for a comprehensive rewrite or major revisions to the county's overall zoning ordinance, with a proposal deadline of August 17.