On Nov. 20, 2025, the Port Washington Plan Commission approved an amendment to the building site and operations plan (BSOP) for VDC Wisco Realty Investments LLC’s proposed 672-acre Lighthouse campus, authorizing an operations center, a 50,000-square-foot warehouse and an approximately 45-acre electrical substation on land north and west of Interstate 43.

Sam, a city planning staff member, reviewed the amendment and the Design Review Board’s recommendations, asking the commission to adopt conditions including extending a precast wall along the Lake Drive frontage, adding a third exterior color band on the operations center’s façade and submitting revised photometric plans for staff review. Sam said the development agreement contemplates delegating approval of minor site plan amendments to the city administrator or designee, a delegation the commission included in the approval.

Chris, a Vantage presenter, framed the Lighthouse campus as a sustainability-minded project, saying the design aims “to minimize environmental impact, to preserve natural resources, to avoid straining of existing local and regional resources and to keep sustainability at the heart of our design, practice.” He provided project metrics: about 672 developed acres with roughly 465 acres of permanent development, 1.3 gigawatts of planned construction power support, a roughly 40,000-square-foot operations center and multiple previously approved data center buildings adjacent to the new elements.

The commission discussed details of the substation, which the applicant described as two adjacent areas: a public utility portion owned and operated by ATC and a Vantage-operated private step-down substation. The Design Review Board recommended a continuous material for the Lake Drive frontage to better screen equipment; staff and the applicant said some tall electrical equipment may remain visible above the recommended 26-foot precast wall until landscaping matures.

Vantage asked the commission to amend construction-hours conditions to allow extended hours for earthmoving during the winter so the team can meet its 2028 delivery target. The applicant sought to expand weekday hours into overnight shifts and to adjust weekend hours; the request prompted questions from commissioners about interim generator use, nighttime lighting controls and overnight traffic. Vantage said bridging circuits from the utility are planned to support construction power but acknowledged generators and light towers could be used in early phases until permanent service is available. On lighting, Vantage said it submitted shielded fixtures and will limit illumination to active work areas when practical. On traffic, Vantage estimated 100–200 on-site workers per day during earthmoving, with up to 300 in peak shifts.

After discussion, the chair moved to approve the BSOP subject to staff-recommended conditions with an amendment to the outdoor construction activity hours and an added condition delegating minor site-plan modifications to designated staff. Alderman Neumeier seconded the motion. The commission took a voice vote and the chair announced the motion carried.

The approval includes: the operation center and warehouse elevations subject to the Design Review Board’s design notes; extension of the ATC-style precast wall along the Lake Drive frontage where feasible; required civil plan approvals and all requisite state and local permits; and a delegation to the city administrator or designee to review minor site-plan amendments below 50,000 square feet.

The commission also thanked the applicant and subcontractors for supporting local businesses. The meeting then moved on to other agenda items.