Brown County, Wisconsin, Municipalities Take Action on AI Data Centers
Municipalities within Brown County, Wisconsin, are independently addressing the development of AI data centers, often without state or county guidance. Many communities are proposing or enacting moratoriums and amending zoning ordinances due to concerns about monetary benefits versus socioeconomic detriments, as well as resident opposition and infrastructure limitations. Several towns and villages have already prohibited data centers or are in the process of drafting regulations, while others are researching options.
Across Brown County, Wisconsin, 25 municipalities are independently evaluating and acting on the development of large artificial intelligence data centers, a process unfolding without specific state or county guidance. While some officials highlight potential monetary benefits, many communities and residents express concerns about socioeconomic detriments and infrastructure strains.
Several local governments have taken decisive action. The Town of New Denmark, Town of Rockland, Village of Ashwaubenon, Village of Bellevue, Village of Hobart, and Village of Wrightstown have each enacted 12-month moratoriums on data center development to allow time for the creation of appropriate regulations and zoning rules. The Village of Greenleaf and Towns of Glenmore, Ledgeview, and Morrison have affirmed that data centers are not permitted under their current zoning laws, with Greenleaf requiring a resident-led petition and village-wide vote for any change. The Town of Holland passed a zoning ordinance amendment outright prohibiting data centers.
Other municipalities are in earlier stages of consideration. The City of De Pere is contemplating a 12-month moratorium, with staff drafting language. The Town of Pittsfield and City of Green Bay are actively redoing or researching zoning ordinances to either ban or more strictly regulate data centers. Towns like Lawrence and Eaton are planning discussions, while officials in Pulaski, Denmark, Howard, and Suamico generally do not see data centers as a relevant issue for their communities due to various factors like lack of acreage, water supply, or wetlands. In the Village of Wrightstown, resident opposition led to a referendum and a moratorium being enacted, despite prior engagement between Village Administrator Travis Coenen and developer Cloverleaf Infrastructure representatives.