Green County, Wisconsin, Enacts 12-Month Data Center Moratorium
Green County, Wisconsin, has approved a 12-month moratorium on data center developments in its unincorporated areas. This decision allows the county time to update its zoning codes and research the potential effects of data centers, even though no proposals have been submitted there yet. The county joins other Wisconsin counties and cities in enacting such measures.
Green County, Wisconsin, has officially enacted a 12-month moratorium on data center developments within its unincorporated areas. The Green County Land Use and Zoning Board held a public hearing, followed by a 30-1 vote by the full county board to approve the measure. This decision aims to provide the county with time to review and update its "somewhat antiquated zoning codes" and establish consistent regulatory standards for data centers, according to Board Chairman Jerry Guth.
The moratorium was approved proactively, as no data center development proposals have yet been submitted in Green County. The impetus for the measure was a proposed $1 billion data center campus planned for the towns of Beloit and Turtle in neighboring Rock County, which has different local zoning structures. Green County now joins Dane, Dodge, Door, and Manitowoc counties in Wisconsin, which have also passed similar moratoriums ranging from one to two years, with Sheboygan and Oneida counties scheduled for votes soon. The moratorium does not affect incorporated cities and villages within Green County, such as Brodhead, Monroe, and New Glarus.