After enacting a moratorium on data center development, Manitowoc County appears to be taking further steps.
County Executive Tyler Martell says a draft ordinance is being developed by the county’s plan commission and corporate counsel to help protect the community if a data center group were to apply under the zoning code in the future.
It could happen after the county’s data center moratorium ends next September.
Martell says the new ordinance is nearly done.
“I’d imagine, I don’t know if it will be this next meeting, but definitely a meeting, definitely soon in the future that the plan commission will have something to be working off of,” he explained. “But we’ve got quite a bit of time to start working on that.”
Martell says he wants to see a public dialogue because of the strong opinions for and against data center development.
“They’re going to have a number of public hearings and public meetings,” he noted. “The public will have the draft ordinance well before it’s voted on, and so, I think it will be a good process.”
The Manitowoc County Board passed an ordinance in April that pauses any data center development in the county for 18 months.
It comes after the Towns of Mishicot, Two Rivers, and Two Creeks asked for the moratorium following data center representatives who came to residents, asking if they’d be willing to sell their land.
