Residents urge Sheboygan City to slow zoning rewrite, demand redline and stronger data‑center and environmental safeguards

Sheboygan City residents packed the Committee of the Whole on March 24 to press elected officials for changes to a proposed zoning‑code rewrite, focusing on environmental protections, data‑center rules and the process used to hire the consultant.

Multiple commenters said the draft removes or obscures protections for woodlands, lakeshore and wetlands. “This draft strips authority away from elected officials ... and places it into the hands of one unelected staff member,” Lisa Salgado told the committee, arguing the city lacked a recorded resolution approving the reported $60,000–$70,000 consultant contract.

Several speakers asked the council to produce a clear side‑by‑side redline showing what was removed and what would replace it. Mark Mahoney cited specific sections in the current code that he said are not apparent in the draft; Julie Falba of Friends of the Black River Forest said the group’s attorney submitted a letter asking for changes to protect natural areas and that the letter be entered into the record.

Data‑center concerns energized many speakers. Commenters urged limits on water use, noise and light, and demanded the city require conditional or special approvals for hyperscale facilities. “If you screw Lake Michigan with these data centers, I just don’t see how you can live with yourselves,” said Robin Brax, a resident who said she moved to Sheboygan because of its proximity to the lake.

City staff and the consultant responded that the draft consolidates environmental protections under a Natural Resource Protection overlay district rather than removing them and that shoreland and floodplain protections remain governed by state‑mandated chapters (Ch. 107 and 109). Staff also said very large proposals would still typically require plan‑level actions — comprehensive‑plan or map amendments, development agreements or public‑improvement agreements — that come before the Council.

On procedure, several commenters asked the Council to impose a moratorium on data‑center construction while the new code is finalized; the chair announced a separate Committee of the Whole meeting on data centers after April 20 and staff said they are drafting moratorium language but expect it to be taken up after the election to ensure the current council considers it.

Alders began a straw poll discussion on whether to require Plan Commission and Common Council review for large factory/high‑hazard or mid‑scale facilities even if those uses would otherwise be by‑right; staff suggested a square‑footage trigger (examples cited: 50,000–100,000 sq ft) to require public hearings. Alder Perla proposed creating a mid‑scale tier to capture facilities that are too large for routine administrative review but smaller than the city’s large‑scale thresholds.

Next steps: staff will compile and respond to specific requests for redlines and documentation, the city will hold a separate committee session focused on data centers after April 20, and alderpersons indicated they will consider amendments to ensure large or high‑impact projects receive Plan Commission and Council review.