Town of Beloit approves data center moratorium
The Town of Beloit Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 12-month moratorium on hyperscale data center development. The pause is intended to allow officials to study local ordinances amid opposition to Panattoni's proposed 2-million-square-foot Project Cornmaze campus in the towns of Beloit and Turtle.
The Town of Beloit Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 to impose a 12-month moratorium on data center development after a public hearing. The ordinance applies to projects larger than 10,000 square feet and cites potential public health and safety risks; the moratorium can be extended by six months while the town reviews its regulations.
The action comes amid opposition to a proposed 2-million-square-foot hyperscale data center campus, known as Project Cornmaze, that Panattoni presented in June for industrial land in the towns of Beloit and Turtle. Town of Beloit resident Brittany Keyes and the Rock County Neighbors for Responsible Development criticized the meeting's afternoon timing and the potential project. The Town of Turtle Board was scheduled to hold its own hearing and possible vote on a similar moratorium.