Ashwaubenon planners begin zoning-code work to address AI/data centers
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Summary
Staff told the Plan Commission the zoning code rewrite under way will include definitions and performance standards for AI/data centers of varying scales; commissioners discussed nuisance, noise and utility impacts and the need to coordinate with county planning for hyper‑scale projects.
Plan Commission members on April 9 opened discussion on how to handle AI/data centers in the village’s zoning rewrite and asked staff to incorporate definitions, design standards and performance standards that differentiate small, mid‑scale and hyperscale data centers.
Community development staff (working on the comprehensive zoning rewrite) said the code update — targeted for a draft by mid-summer — will include use‑specific design and performance standards (for example, lighting and noise limits) while nuisance ordinances will remain available for broader public-impact enforcement. Commissioners noted the county’s recent work and large regional projects (Port Washington and Beaver Dam were cited as examples of hyperscale developments measured in hundreds of acres) and agreed that hyper‑scale facilities would be difficult to site within the village because of land-availability and utility constraints.
The commission asked staff to incorporate the Brown County planning material they provided and to consider performance standards that can be tailored to data center scale so smaller on‑site operations are not unintentionally prohibited while allowing stricter controls for larger projects.
Next steps: Staff will continue the zoning code rewrite with data center definitions and suggested performance/design standards and return a draft for review; commissioners and members were invited to send additional information to staff for consideration.
