More communities adopting Kaukauna’s pre-emptive approach to data center zoning

The city of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, passed a zoning ordinance amendment in January to proactively regulate potential data center developments within its Industrial District. This amendment notably imposes limits on water and electrical usage for any approved data center projects. Following Kaukauna's initiative, the city of Delavan, also in Wisconsin, is considering adopting a similar preemptive zoning approach. The Delavan City Council is scheduled to review a proposed zoning amendment next week, even though the city has not yet received any data center proposals. Delavan officials released a public hearing notice explaining that the amendment aims to establish a clear zoning category and appropriate local regulations for data centers. The city emphasized a "thoughtful and responsible approach" to protect long-term planning, preserve development patterns, and ensure future land use requests are evaluated against clear local standards, citing significant land use, utility, infrastructure, noise, and community impact considerations. This proactive stance by Wisconsin communities comes as AI companies rapidly expand data center infrastructure, leading to growing public opposition across the state due to concerns over environmental impact, water consumption, and the immense electricity demands of these facilities.