Could a giant data center be built in your Sheboygan County neighborhood? The simple answer is: Yes, it could, but simple answers don’t tell the whole story. However, the simple fact is that Sheboygan County is being actively promoted to Data Center site developers.
The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation was contacted by New North, a non-profit corporation that connects investments with companies that want to invest in Northeast Wisconsin. They, along with WE Energies, Kimberly-Clark, BURR Computer Environments and Wisconsin Public Service, asked the SCEDC to assemble a list of sites that meet criteria of at least 30 acres in area, more than one telecommunication provider, access to all utilities, electrical feeds from two substations, and minimum separation from power generation and transportation corridors.
The SCEDC has prepared documents detailing 14 potential Sheboygan County sites. Six of those are in the Town of Sheboygan, three each in Oostburg and Cedar Grove, and one each in Glenbeulah and within the City of Plymouth.
The study concludes that most qualified sites arose in the western half of the Town of Sheboygan, with proximity to duplicate power options, raw land for development, and location within a water and sanitary district offering distinct advantages.
So could a data center be in your future? It’s too early to say for certain. Not all needed land is for sale at this time, and several communities have comprehensive plans identifying future land use. Several qualifying parcels were removed from consideration as a result, and others were removed because of proximity to existing residential subdivisions.
The Sheboygan County study concluded by stating that “The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation looks forward to working with the New North, its partners, and prospective investors to accommodate data center uses in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.”
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