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Residents press for strict limits on data centers; council schedules detailed follow-up
Summary
Public commenters and several alderpersons urged a moratorium or stricter controls on large data centers after hearing that the draft zoning code could allow standalone data-center uses as-of-right in some industrial districts; staff said thresholds and reporting options will be drafted and a separate Committee of the Whole on data centers will follow the council transition.
Residents at Sheboygan’s March 24 Committee of the Whole meeting urged alderpersons to place strict limits on large data centers, saying the draft zoning code as presented could allow major computing facilities without sufficient public review or performance standards.
Multiple speakers from the public raised concerns about water use, noise, lighting and the low long-term employment benefits of hyperscale facilities. Mary Dotz said the city should require developers to fund grid upgrades and water/sewer expansions and argued for conditional-review procedures similar to those used by larger U.S. cities. Mandolin Tempus warned that a permissive definition could allow multi-building campuses covering dozens or hundreds of acres.
Staff and the consultant said the draft treats some standalone data centers as industrial uses and that certain small server rooms (for schools or businesses) are not intended to be captured as hyperscale facilities. Sam Schultz said the immediate draft relies on objective development standards but noted the Committee asked staff to prepare threshold options. Administrator Bradley and other staff suggested a practical trigger—square footage in the 50,000–100,000 sq ft range was discussed in the meeting—or a size-based threshold for a mandatory hearing; Alderman Close proposed considering energy consumption (for example, megawatt thresholds) as an alternative metric.
Committee members directed staff to draft options that would: (a) define the size or energy thresholds that require public hearings, (b) list mandatory reporting or monitoring expectations for large facilities, and (c) clarify where environmental overlays and shoreland/floodplain chapters apply. The Chair announced a dedicated follow-up Committee of the Whole session on data centers will be scheduled after the new Council term begins (after April 20); staff were asked to return with draft language and options.
That follow-up will determine whether the city pursues an ordinance narrowly regulating data centers by size, energy use, or by requiring conditional review and specific mitigation measures.
