OSHKOSH − Oshkosh isn’t looking to pause possible data center development within its city limits alone.
The city wants a regional approach to hyperscale AI facilities, with the Common Council directing staff to work with Winnebago County and the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission on a uniform moratorium across the Fox Valley.
Voting at the July 14 Common Council meeting, the council unanimously approved working with surrounding municipalities and counties on a “coordinated policy framework for data center development.”
“While we could advance this initiative and Winnebago County could, for example, if Outagamie, Fond du Lac or Calumet counties chose to do nothing, we could and would still feel the impact of their decisions,” Mayor Matt Mugerauer explained.
What happens next with Oshkosh’s AI data center moratorium?
The potential ordinance change will eventually have to go through the Plan Commission before returning to the Common Council for a final vote.
Council member Alec Lefeber, who drafted the resolution, previously told the Northwestern a final council vote likely wouldn’t come until September.
Oshkosh’s focus on developing a regional data center moratorium comes one month after Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz expressed a similar sentiment toward having aligned frameworks within the region.
The county also approved drafting language for a 12-month moratorium, but such an ordinance change would only impact the four townships where Winnebago County is authorized to do general zoning.
A regional moratorium could shape where large data centers are allowed, how quickly projects can move forward and whether communities across the Fox Valley set similar rules for land use, water demand, noise and utility impacts.
How do data center moratoria work in Wisconsin?
Moratoria temporarily pause construction, permitting or any approval of a new data center, giving the city a year to update zoning laws and enact regulations governing the facilities.
Wisconsin Statute 66.1002 allows municipalities to enact development moratoria, providing the legal framework and timelines to temporarily halt rezoning and land division.
Development moratoria may only be in effect for a year, but municipalities may extend the ordinance for another six months if the governing body “determines that such an extension is necessary to address the problem.”
Have other Wisconsin counties passed data center moratoria?
Manitowoc and Dane counties both recently passed 18-month data center moratoria within months of each other, while the city of Sheboygan approved drafting a moratorium proposal in May with the City Plan Commission unanimously voting to pass a 12-month moratorium on data centers July 14..
Lefeber acknowledged the development of an AI data center is unlikely within Oshkosh’s city limits, given that hyperscale facilities typically require about 200 acres.
“We should still work on putting together a regional framework instead of doing this on a city-by-city basis because we are all so closely connected by the same bodies of water,” Lefeber previously told the Northwestern.
The moves to draft data center moratoria in the region come as residents in Mount Pleasant filed a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft over noise emanating from the 315-acre facility.
Midwest Environmental Advocates also is suing the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources over claims that it conducted a limited environment analysis at the request of the company building a $15 billion data center in Port Washington.
Utility costs and environmental concerns have raised further issues surrounding Meta’s unfinished $1 billion data center in Beaver Dam.
What are AI data centers and why are people opposed?
Hyperscale data centers are specialized IT facilities designed to run artificial intelligence models. They typically are more than 10,000 square feet, house more than 5,000 servers and use more than 50 megawatts.
That high energy use can strain power grids and may result in higher electricity rates for homeowners.
Advocates also point to the facilities’ potential for massive water consumption to cool servers, citing additional concerns about noise and air pollution created by diesel generators.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh seeks Fox Valley pause on AI data centers
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern | USA TODAY Network
