Madison board tables Giga Energy data‑center conditional‑use and variance after hours of noise, rate and decommissioning concerns
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Summary
After extended public comment on noise, visual impact, utility rates and decommissioning, the Madison Board of Adjustment voted to table both the conditional‑use permit and the variance for a proposed 10‑megawatt, air‑cooled modular data facility from Giga Energy, asking staff for independent sound analysis and enforceable conditions.
The Madison Board of Adjustment on April 14 delayed action on a conditional‑use permit and a variance for a proposed 10‑megawatt air‑cooled modular data facility from Giga Energy, citing outstanding technical questions and calls from neighbors for independent testing and enforceable decommissioning guarantees.
The board opened back‑to‑back hearings for the conditional use (appeal 762) and the variance to allow metal siding in the GT‑1 overlay (appeal 763). City staff told the board the 3.73‑acre site sits in the Light Manufacturing district and that the GT‑1 overlay generally prohibits sheet‑metal siding; the applicant is seeking flexibility to use modular metal units required by the technology.
Camille Foley, a Giga development official, said the units are air‑cooled and "there will be no water use on the site at all," and described proposed mitigation including chain‑link fencing with acoustic curtains and a tree buffer. Foley told the board the company would contract third‑party acoustical consultants if the board made a sound study a condition of approval.
Neighbors urged caution. "This thing will never shut off," said a nearby resident raising concerns about continuous fan noise and sleep disturbance; several residents said sound travels farther in winter and pressed for an independent, on‑site long‑term noise study rather than a single snapshot measurement. Landowners also sought firm answers about drainage, driveway access to a township road, light trespass, security camera sightlines and the height and number of modular units.
Heartland Energy and city utility staff emphasized potential revenue and utility benefits, saying the operator would take an interruptible power class and the city would receive a 1‑cent per kilowatt adder on the customer’s usage to the city’s electric fund. Heartland’s Casey Crabtree said the arrangement is a special rate class available to any qualifying interruptible customer and argued the project would generate additional revenue without shifting costs to existing ratepayers.
Commissioners identified items they considered essential before a final decision: an independent, site‑specific noise study with protocols for measurement and frequency analysis; specific enforceable noise limits and how compliance would be measured and enforced; a drainage and grading plan meeting the city’s stormwater standards; and a decommissioning plan or financial assurance so the city would not bear cleanup costs if the facility were abandoned.
The board voted to table both appeals and asked city staff to return with draft conditions and the requested technical analyses. The city will also consider how lease and utility agreements before the city commission could address some issues outside the board’s zoning purview.
