Land lost to data center triggers new zoning plan

Town of Port Washington officials are preparing a new zoning classification that they hope will help preserve the town’s rural character and make it more difficult for development to occur.

It’s a response to annexations by the city, Town Chairman Mike Didier said, including the annexation of almost 2,000 acres for the Vantage Data Centers Lighthouse Campus — a development made in part because the larger lots required by the town made it relatively easy to compile a large parcel for development.

The town’s current agricultural zoning requires 35-acre parcels unless the land is subdivided for a conservation subdivision.

The proposed mixed general agriculture/conservation subdivision zoning code would allow land owners to divide their property into five-acre parcels suitable for everything from a hobby farm to a large-lot residential development.

Landowners wouldn’t be required to develop the smaller lots, Didier said, noting they could continue to farm across the original parcel.

“You could have five-acre parcels on paper only but out there it’s still a cornfield,” he said, noting that would also ensure taxes continue to be based on the agricultural value.

“People always say they like the rural character, but there’s always pressure to develop,” Didier said, but this zoning district would allow people to sell a portion of their land to generate income or create a lot for a family member.

The zoning district would encompass land in the northern part of the town, north of the Knellsville area where, according to the zoning amendment, the land is “of marginal or transitional agricultural value” due to the soils, previous land divisions, residential construction and proximity to development.

A public hearing on the proposed zoning classification will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, at Town Hall. The Town Board is expected to act on the zoning amendment at its regular meeting following the hearing.

In other action Monday, Didier told the board that the town’s border agreement with the city will be altered to reflect new deadlines for extending sewer and water service into the Knellsville area.

The city had intended to get the bulk of the work done by the end of 2027, but delays in obtaining the necessary permission from the Wisconsin Public Service Commission mean the work will take longer than expected, he said.

“They (the city) don’t want to be in breech of contract,” he said.

The city has begun doing some of the preliminary work for the project, he noted, including surveying.

The board also agreed to contact the Ozaukee County Highway Department to see if it can place its traffic cameras on Weiler’s Way and Lilac Lane as the town conducts a speed study there.

Residents have asked the town to lower the speed limit on the two roads from 55 mph to between 25 mph and 35 mph, which requires a speed study.