DELAVAN — Delavan's plan commission discussed possible rules for data centers if any proposals come to the city. Some residents are upset they're talking about data centers at all.
The plan commission met Monday evening and talked about zoning restrictions for data centers among other agenda items. However, the city emphasized that there are no actual plans for a data center in Delavan.
The agenda item concerning the data center zoning proposal said, in part:
"The purpose of this proposed code amendment is not to respond to a specific data center proposal or inquiry. Rather, it was initiated by request of the Common Council as a preemptive measure, so that if the City should receive such a proposal, the process for approving or denying it would be clear to the applicant, the City, and the public."
-City of Delavan
Some Delavan residents are adamantly against the idea of data centers in or near their community.
"I understand why there's data centers, but I don't know why we'd want one here, the small community that we are," said Rocky Feeney, who has lived in Delavan for 40 years.
"It's going to impact everybody here," said William Peterson, who moved to Delavan from Milwaukee four years ago for the small-town feel. "Nobody is making money except the people who put it in."
The zoning changes, if they are approved and adopted by Delavan, would only permit data centers if they are in areas zoned for heavy manufacturing and if they are a certain distance away from residential areas.
Feeney said he understands why the city is discussing the limits of where a data center could possibly go.
"They need to have rules out there," Feeney said. "I think the whole country needs rules about how this is going to happen with the growth."
However, Peterson remains upset that Delavan is discussing data centers at all.
"Shut it down. Don't entertain the idea," Peterson said. "Let's stop it before it starts."
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
