Plan commission approves Vantage Data Centers site amendment, expands weekday construction hours

The Port Washington Plan Commission on Nov. 20 approved an amendment to the building site and operations plan (BSOP) for the VDC Wisco Realty Investments LLC campus (Vantage Data Centers), allowing a 40,250-square-foot operations center, a 50,000-square-foot warehouse and a private utility substation as part of a roughly 672-acre campus.

The vote, taken by voice after a public presentation and staff report, adopted staff-recommended conditions including extending a 26-foot precast screening wall along the Lake Drive frontage, revised photometric plans if building-mounted lighting is later proposed, and a requirement that rooftop mechanical equipment be screened with materials matching those shown on the approved plans. Commissioners also added a condition formally delegating approval of minor site-plan modifications (for changes under 50,000 square feet) to designated staff per the development agreement.

Vantage representatives told the commission the campus spans roughly 672 acres of which about 465 acres will be permanently developed and that utility capacity planning contemplates about 1.3 gigawatts of power. The applicant said it aims to maintain sustainability goals, minimize environmental impact, and restore disturbed areas with native landscaping. "Through the course of development of our campus, we have had, as a main objective, 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," a Vantage presenter said during the meeting.

During the presentation, staff and consultants described a split substation plan: a public-utility (ATC) portion with ATC—s standard precast wall and a private Vantage-operated portion, with a recommendation to make the Lake Drive frontage visually consistent by extending similar screening across the corridor. Staff noted the 26-foot precast wall will screen much of the infrastructure but that some electrical equipment may remain visible above the top of the wall until landscaping matures.

The applicant asked the commission to expand approved outdoor construction hours to avoid winter delays and to help meet an internal 2028 project delivery target. Commissioners pressed the applicant on interim use of generators and site lighting. The applicant said utility bridging circuits will be brought to the site to support construction power when available, and that interim diesel generators and light towers may be used while construction power is established; the applicant said it planned to use shielded fixtures and targeted lighting to minimize off-site light pollution.

Following discussion, the commission amended the outdoor construction hours condition and approved the project. The chair read the amended motion to make outdoor construction activities 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday, and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; the motion also added a new condition delegating staff authority to approve minor plan revisions. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The chair thanked the applicant and their subcontractors for supporting local businesses.

The approved conditions recorded in staff materials also require the applicant to submit revised operations center elevations addressing the Design Review Board—s request to add a third metal-panel color to break up long window fields, to submit updated photometric plans if building-mounted lighting is proposed, and to pursue parcel consolidation prior to requesting certificates of occupancy, subject to approvals from other governmental entities.

Next steps outlined by staff include the applicant providing required state and local permits, final civil plan approval, and continued coordination on parcel consolidations and landscaping plans before building permits and certificates of occupancy are issued.