Port complex may have 11 data centers

A concept plan for a data center complex in Port Washington — a project that was blasted by area residents Tuesday — shows 11 data center buildings, five substations and three office buildings on about 1,600 acres.

“What steps can we take to stop this? There have to be other alternatives,” said Susan Waldhuetter, 1856 Dixie Rd., who noted the data center would be significantly larger than the largest data center that exists today. “If you think it won’t affect your community, you’re mistaken.”

Despite the outcry from many of the roughly 40 people who attended the meting, the Common Council unanimously approved the creation of a technology campus zoning district to facilitate the proposed data center complex.

On Thursday, April 17, the data center concept plan will be presented to the Plan Commission at its 6 p.m. meeting.

In addition to the data center buildings and substations, the plan calls for a utility plant and areas for future development, as well as new roads and three stormwater detention ponds.

The plan is intended to provide a general idea of what the campus could look like rather than a specific design for the complex, officials said.

“It looks at what it could conceptually look like,” Aaron Bilyeu, chief development officer for Cloverleaf Infrastructure, said Tuesday.

The plan, he said, is a typical footprint for a data center campus, adding that it will be updated once an end user for the complex is identified so that company can tailor the plans to its specifications.

Bob Harris, the city’s director of planning and development, said the concept plan will “show the scale, the uses and support uses that could be on the site. It’s clearly subject to change. So much of it depends on the ultimate end user or end users.”

Cloverleaf has talked about a 40-acre substation on the campus, but Bilyeu said Tuesday that multiple substations are a possibility, adding that five substations is “kind of a guess. It will be a conversation between the end user and (American Transmission Co.).”

The company has also asked the city  if it could provide as much as 1 million gallons of water a day for the data center complex, something Bilyeu said one potential end user asked about.

“Most users are turning away form using water for cooling,” he said. “One user specifically has asked if that’s a possibility,”

If that comes to fruition, he said, the utility building on the site could be replaced with a water storage and treatment facility.

Port Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven said the city’s water plant is operating at less than half its capacity and engineers are looking at whether it could provide that much water to the campus while still allowing the city to accommodate future growth and at what point an addition to the plant would be needed.

The water plant has a capacity of four million gallons a day, he said. On average, it produces 1.3 million gallons a day and on peak days a little more than two million gallons.

While Cloverleaf has said the data center campus would bring an anticipated 50 to 100 jobs per building, Bilyeu said Tuesday that most large campuses have a small workforce in each data center and shared office buildings for more administrative functions, a plan that maximizes efficiencies.

The concept plan is only one item regarding the data center campus that will be considered by the Plan Commission Thursday.

Commission members will also consider a petition signed by 28 property owners filed with the city last week to annex 562.4 acres of land for the first phase of the data center complex as well as measures to amend the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning map to allow for the data center campus.

The city has also applied for a change to its sanitary sewer district to include the entire data center site.

The concept plan is unlikely to allay the concerns expressed Tuesday by the crowd that packed City Hall for deliberations on the technology zoning district, many of whom talked about the potential impact on wildlife and the disruptions due to noise and light pollution from the site.

“I feel the project is much larger than our small community can handle. I would ask you to reject it,” Debra Lessila, 109 E. Jackson St., said.

Rick Fellenz, 4237 Highland Dr., noted that Cloverleaf’s initial annexation has been downsized, asking, “Doesn’t it concern you at all that they’re going from 2,000 acres to 1,000 acres to 500 acres?”

Kim Tydrick, 4465 Weiler’s Way, said she is skeptical of the city’s ability to regulate the data center.

“Port Washington has a history of giving in to developers,” she said. “Why would we believe it’s not going to happen now?”

Troy Cook, 5111 Country Club Beach Rd., who said an online petition he started opposing the data center has received more than 500 signatures, questioned whether aldermen were really paying attention to residents.

“This meeting, while essential, is a dog and pony show,” he said, aimed at giving the appearance officials care.

Terri Wicinski of Lilac Lane asked for more strenuous standards for the data center, particularly in terms of noise pollution, saying the 70 decibels in the zoning code isn’t enough.

“Make them put up the money to have less disturbances,” she said. “It’s easier to have Cloverleaf put up the money up front. We’re going to have to fight harder after the fact.”

Joyce Jentges of Cedar Grove, who said she represented the Northern Cross Science Foundation, said the group is concerned about the impact of light pollution and fears it may have to move its observatory from Harrington Beach State Park because of it.

“I hate the idea of this data center,” she said. “It is not what we signed up for. I worry about how much water it’s going to use, and the electricity. I really think this has been crammed down our throats.”

Mayor Ted Neitzke noted that the zoning code includes the minimum standards the city will hold the data center to, adding officials can set more stringent regulations in the developer’s agreement.

The key things in the proposed code are standards for landscaping, lighting and sound, Harris said, noting the intent is to minimize the impact on the neighbors.

The code requires data centers to be on a minimum lot of 10,000 square feet, with the building set back 100 feet from the public right of way and 200 feet from any residential zoning district.

The code limits the height of data centers to 65 feet, although that can be increased by one foot for every foot of additional setback to a maximum 100 feet.

Sound emitted from the data center would be limited to 70 decibels — comparable to the noise from a dishwasher, hair dryer or vacuum — as measured from the property line, with sound walls as tall as 24 feet allowed to help mitigate noise.

Lights on the property would be required to be directed downward to minimize skyglow and glare that could disrupt neighbors, birds and wildlife, with limited fixtures near the property lines.