Town of Rock board holds off on data center moratorium vote, Town of Janesville approves
Several towns in Rock County, Wisconsin, including Janesville, Turtle, and Beloit, have approved 12-month moratoriums on data center developments. The Town of Rock Board of Supervisors, however, delayed its vote to explore a moratorium, instructing its planning and zoning committee to make a recommendation first. This comes amidst interest from a California company for a large data center campus in the area.
Several towns in Rock County, Wisconsin, are actively addressing the potential development of large data centers within their jurisdictions. The Town of Janesville's Board of Supervisors approved a 12-month moratorium on new data center developments after its planning and zoning committee recommended the measure. This action followed contact from a San Diego, California-based company interested in developing a data center on farmland at North Polzin Road and West Fenric Road.
Similarly, the Town of Turtle and the Town of Beloit previously passed resolutions approving 12-month moratoriums on data center developments. A California company is reportedly eyeing these two towns for a proposed $1 billion, 2 million square-foot data center campus.
In contrast, the Town of Rock Board of Supervisors delayed its decision on exploring a similar 12-month moratorium. At a Monday night meeting, attended by over 50 residents, the board directed its planning and zoning committee to further discuss the proposal and provide a recommendation before a formal vote is taken. No formal data center proposals have yet been submitted for the Town of Rock.
The discussions across these towns reflect a growing regional consideration of the impacts of data center construction, with three hyperscale data center projects already underway elsewhere in Wisconsin, specifically in Mount Pleasant, Port Washington, and Beaver Dam.