Town of Bloomer to Host Public Hearing on Data Centers

The Town of Bloomer is inviting local residents to a public hearing on data centers this week.

According to a press release, the Town Board will discuss a potential moratorium on data center development after considering a recommendation that will be shared by the Planning Commission. Town Board officials also clarified that the public hearing is geared towards gathering community input, and they will not take any official action or vote on the measure.

Data center development has become a significant area of focus in Western Wisconsin as a number of other municipalities consider taking similar action. Local residents have largely pushed back against the proposed developments in the region, citing concerns with water and energy use as well as the potential environmental impacts of the facilities.

Those concerns grew in response to a data center proposal in the City of Menomonie last year, which forced the City Council to update its zoning code to create a specific definition for data centers. Prior to that update, the proposed data center would have fallen under the zoning code definition of warehousing and the City would have been required to accommodate the facility as a legal land use. The proposed update would also implement additional protections regarding water and energy use, as well as requiring a reclamation bond to restore the current condition of the property if the data center facility were to later close.

A number of other Wisconsin Counties have also already started the process of pursuing an outright moratorium on the facilities, including Eau Claire and Chippewa Counties. The public hearing in the Town of Bloomer this week will take place on Wednesday at 7:00 pm at the Bloomer Town Hall following the Planning Commission meeting.