St. Croix County Community Development Committee expected to discuss moratorium in meeting next week

The St. Croix County Community Development Committee is scheduled for a special meeting to discuss a potential moratorium and amendments to ordinances concerning data centers. Corporation Counsel Heather Amos explained that both a temporary pause (moratorium) and amendments to the county's Code of Ordinances Chapter 15, which covers zoning, would be considered. Staff are expected to prepare a draft moratorium and an ordinance framework, including a data center definition, with public hearings anticipated for summer or fall.

Committee chair Scott Counter emphasized the need for solutions to create effective ordinances, acknowledging the rapid growth of data center interest. Community Development Director Jason Kjeseth noted that updated county-level ordinances would provide a crucial framework for smaller governments within St. Croix County, many of which lack their own specific zoning regulations for data centers. Committee member Kerry Reis, while previously having reservations about a moratorium's implications, expressed openness to a six-month moratorium on large and hyperscale data centers to address public concerns and allow time for comprehensive ordinance development.

The committee's discussion follows a tour of an 8-megawatt data center operated by NOWLIT Solutions Corp. near Durand, Wis., where members observed significant noise from the cooling systems. Staff also presented examples of ordinances from other Wisconsin governments, including Waushara County, which restricts data centers to Intensive Manufacturing zones and requires conditional use permits due to environmental concerns, and the City of Jefferson, which has established distance requirements from residential areas and mandates submission of utility and cooling system plans. While the Hammond Board of Appeals recently approved a conditional use permit for a small data center in the Village of Hammond, county officials clarified that any county-level moratorium would not apply to incorporated areas like villages or cities. County Administrator Ken Witt noted that no data center proposals have yet come before the county within its jurisdiction, suggesting the moratorium may not be an immediate rush but a proactive measure to establish clear guidelines before development occurs.