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Why Madison Suburb of DeForest Shot Down $12 Billion Data Center Project
['Tom Kertscher']
Urban Milwaukee
Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban MilwaukeeEarlier this year, the Madison suburb of DeForest abruptly rejected a $12 billion, 1,600-acre data center amid mounting public opposition.
At the same time, data center development proposals are being considered in communities such as Kenosha, Menomonie, Wisconsin Rapids and Rock County.
Even though no data center was built in DeForest, the village’s agreement could offer guidance for future data center deals in Wisconsin.
“It’s our job to provide the best package that we can get from our development, to benefit the population and the village,” village Administrator Bill Chang recently told Wisconsin Watch.
One of them, state Sen. Kelda Roys of Madison, supports creating a state team of experts to help communities negotiate with data center developers.