Town of Beloit follows Turtle's lead, rejects data center cost agreement, votes for moratorium
The Town of Beloit Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to establish a 12-month moratorium on data center projects and rejected a cost reimbursement agreement with Panattoni Development Co. for a proposed $1 billion data center campus. This decision follows similar action by the Town of Turtle, effectively blocking the project in both townships for at least a year. Residents expressed strong opposition to the proposed development.
The Town of Beloit Board of Supervisors, following the lead of its neighbor the Town of Turtle, unanimously voted to establish a 12-month moratorium on data center projects and rejected a cost reimbursement agreement with Panattoni Development Co. The California-based developer had proposed a $1 billion, 2-million-square-foot data center campus, dubbed “Project Cornmaze,” across industrial land in both the Towns of Beloit and Turtle in Rock County, Wisconsin.
This decision, made during a special afternoon meeting, effectively blocks any data center proposals in both townships for at least a year. Town of Beloit Administrator John Malizio confirmed that Panattoni Development Co. was notified of the vote and would determine next steps. The Town of Turtle Board had taken similar action previously, becoming the first governmental unit in Rock County to use a moratorium to pause hyperscale data center projects.
Public interest in the Beloit area for a hyperscale data center became known in March, with citizen-uncovered emails showing developer inquiries dating back to 2023. Despite Panattoni's estimates of significant economic impact, local residents overwhelmingly opposed the project, attending numerous board meetings to express their concerns. The moratorium means both towns will incur costs for studying and improving zoning ordinances and addressing other related issues during the pause.