Port Washington planning commission backs new I-3 Technology Campus zoning district; adds 8-foot berm amendment

The City of Port Washington Planning Commission voted to recommend that the Common Council adopt a text amendment adding an I-3 Technology Campus industrial zoning district to the municipal code to accommodate and regulate potential data center and similar technology campus development. The commission voted to forward the draft with one amendment requiring a minimum 8-foot berm planted with native species.

City staff and the zoning consultant described the draft district as a new, performance-based industrial classification intended for large technology campuses such as data centers, research facilities and related utilities. Staff said the draft was written to be flexible for unknown end users while setting standards on setbacks, landscaping, lighting, noise and screening to reflect community expectations.

Key standards discussed at the meeting include a 100-foot setback from public rights-of-way (doubled to 200 feet where adjacent to residential zoning), a standard building height of 65 feet with additional setback required as height increases (a cap referenced at 100 feet), and no fixed parking minimums to avoid over-parking for low-employment facilities. Landscaping provisions call for heavy planting in the first 50 feet of setback, a minimum berm (draft initially set at 6 feet), native woodland restoration designed by a registered landscape architect, and a planting mix requirement noted in the draft: “planting shall consist a mixture of species native to Southeast Wisconsin with no single species comprising more than 25% of the total plantings.”

Lighting standards in the draft restrict outdoor fixtures to 3,000 Kelvin or lower, require full-cutoff fixtures to limit vertical light emissions, and limit illumination intensity to approximately 3.3 foot-candles in specified areas. For sound mitigation the draft uses a 70-decibel maximum at the property line for sustained sound; staff explained that the 70 dB figure corresponds to common ambient examples and that intermittent noises (for example a backing truck beeper) would not be treated the same as sustained operational sound.

Public comment at the meeting raised drainage and subsurface tile concerns. Resident Rick Fallon said, “What I didn't see is provisions for drainage management and water runoff, both surface and subsurface including field tiles.” Commissioners and staff discussed typical practice for handling field tiles during large grading — that existing tiles are reconnected or daylighted into ditches and standard stormwater management rules would apply once a plat and site plan are submitted.

Commissioners asked about additional detail for maintenance of landscaping; staff noted the draft requires two years of maintenance for newly installed plants and said longer maintenance terms or specific watering schedules could be addressed in developers agreements. Commissioner questions also raised the idea of motion-activated or “smart” lighting; staff said that the zoning text did not currently mandate smart lights but that the site-plan (BSOP) review could consider operational security needs and that some municipalities add such requirements during site-specific review.

After discussion, a motion to advance the I-3 Technology Campus zoning text to the Common Council with one amendment — “property owner shall provide a minimum of an 8 foot tall berm, planted with native species” — was moved and seconded. The commission voted in favor and the motion carried.

If the Common Council approves the text amendment, future development proposals in that district will be reviewed under the new I-3 standards and through the city's site-plan and subdivision review processes.