At Port Washington Forum, Data Center Developers Face Skeptical Neighbors

This is an aerial rendering of what the planned data center campus in Port Washington could look like. Source: City of Port Washington

Christina Pactengale is a data analyst and data engineer. She lives in Port Washington, where a massive $15 billion data center campus is under construction.

Thursday night, she attended an informational event about the project, organized by Vantage Data Centers, Oracle and OpenAI. Vantage Data Centers is the developer behind the project, which is being built in partnership with the two tech companies.

Pactengale came to the event with questions about the impact of the campus on the environment, and water and energy usage.

“I’m happy that they were transparent in cases where they didn’t have answers,” Pactengale said. “But I do hope that we’ll be informed as they get answers, that we continue to be informed of what’s going on.”

The event was titled a “Community Conversation.” Residents were able to speak with representatives from the companies at booths set up inside an event space.

The booths focused on issues including “Economic Impact,” “Construction,” and “Sustainability.” A projector showed information about water usage at the campus, which has been named “Lighthouse.”

A poster labeled “Once-In-A-Generation Opportunity” said the campus “positions Wisconsin as a national leader in the Al-driven economy while delivering historic private investment, thousands of skilled jobs and long-term economic benefits across the state.”

The campus is on 672 acres next to Interstate 43, around 30 minutes from Milwaukee. Four data centers will be built there.

But residents who live near the project have spoken out about the plans during public meetings.

People attended a “Community Conversation” about the massive data center campus being constructed in Port Washington. Evan Casey/WPR

Misty Allen, the vice president of public policy North America for Vantage Data Centers, said the campus is expected to be operational beginning “in and around 2028.” Allen said the event Thursday was an opportunity for residents to speak with some of the people behind the plans.

“It’s a big project,” Allen said. “It’s a lot of change in a community like Port Washington and so we’re excited to open the doors and have those conversations.”

Town of Port Washington resident Joy Hayward said the campus is “right in my backyard.” She came to try to learn more about the impact of the project, but she said she left disappointed.

“Ninety percent of my questions weren’t answered,” Hayward said.

Hayward said she had questions about water usage, noise from the campus and questions about where the power lines for the data centers could be placed.

“I was really quite disappointed,” she said. “I came down for information and to see what the place looked like, and I didn’t get … any of that.”

Last month, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin revoked a “completeness” determination for a transmission line project for the campus.

Allen said she understands concerns from people who are opposed to data centers. She said Thursday’s event was about informing residents.

“Change is happening around them and in their community,” Allen said. “So it’s really our job to make sure that they understand what is happening in their community and why.”

Jim Jarosz, who lives in the city of Port Washington, is supportive of the project. He believes it’ll lead to economic benefits for the area.

“Of course it’s going to be positive, and they’re being friendly, putting a foot forward,” Jarosz said.

A Vantage webpage dedicated to the project said over 2,000 trees will be planted at the site, and an 8-foot berm will be installed. Jarosz mentioned that berm when he was talking about the project.

“We’re not going to know it’s there,” Jarosz said about the campus.

A “Community Conversation” about the massive data center campus in Port Washington was held on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. Evan Casey/WPR

Allen said 4,000 construction workers are working on the project and said 1,000 permanent jobs will be at the campus once it’s operational. She said it will use a closed loop cooling system for water.

Some residents who live near the project have already complained about construction, mentioning noise and light pollution.

“We very much understand, you know, construction is disruptive,” Allen said. It’s a pain in the neck.”

The work on the campus in Port Washington comes as Microsoft recently completed construction of the first of a series of data centers in Racine County, in the village of Mount Pleasant. Microsoft has also proposed a data center development in Kenosha.

Pactengale said she uses AI every day in her job.

“Just with how much infrastructure is being built for data centers right now, what if the demand is different and … the demand isn’t there for it in two years when it’s operational,” Pactengale said about the campus in Port Washington. “I don’t know if I’ll get an answer. We’ll find out.”

Regarding the possibility of an AI bubble burst, Allen said that’s a “natural concern.”

“If we think about … our digital economy and how we live our everyday lives — we use our phones to tap pay at the grocery store now — all of that is saved in a data center,” Allen said. “We’re only going to create more data.”

‘Community Conversation’ held on massive $15B data center campus in Port Washington  was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.