WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The city's Planning Commission will review recommended modifications to a zoning code relating to data center use.
According to city documents, the Planning Commission will discuss proposed modifications at its next meeting at 4 p.m. Aug. 3 in City Council Chambers at City Hall, 444 W. Grand Ave.
City Council President Madalyn Palmquist submitted a request to review and consider modifications to Chapter 11 – Zoning Code (Appendix B) as it relates to data center land use. The discussion at Monday's meeting will be discussion only and no action will be taken.
Palmquist's request, dated July 1, describes feedback she has received from residents and nonresidents with concerns about regulations and restrictions for water supply and capacity, wastewater treatment, electrical utility infrastructure and noise.
Those modifications include requiring the most-up-to-date cooling technology with sustainable features, banning the use of PFAS, stricter noise mitigation with maximum decibel levels, written documentation the company can adequately supply and treat all water on site and adding a Community Benefits Agreement section to the code.
According to the recommendation, a Community Benefits Agreement should combat gentrification, ensure future economic growth and safeguard living standards within the city. The agreement should include independent compliance monitoring of water, electricity and noise, according to the recommendations, define penalties for noncompliance, include timelines, mandates for local labor, procurement quotas and developer-funded environmental remediation.
In Palmquist's letter to the city's Planning Commission outlining recommendations, she stated the referral is intended to be a starting point for the Planning Commission to refine the existing regulations. The commission could choose to make no changes, recommend the changes suggested, recommend similar changes or recommend other changes to the zoning code.
"I defer to the expertise of the Planning Commission, Community Development Department and the Council to recommend and implement additional regulations to ensure our community is protected from potential negative impact while remaining agile to benefit from the significant revenue that this type of industry can provide," Palmquist wrote in the letter to the Planning Commission.
The Planning Commission will also discuss potential options to enact a moratorium relating to constructing, assembling or developing new hyperscale data centers in the city. Any potential moratorium would apply only to future projects and would not cover any application currently pending with the city.
Contact Caitlin at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @CaitlinShuda.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Planning Commission to discuss zoning code changes for data centers