GREENLEAF VILLAGE (WLUK) — Across the street from a potential artificial intelligence (AI) data center in southern Brown County is Ledgestone Vineyards.
No formal application has been filed in Greenleaf Village, but an unknown developer is seeking to purchase land from residents to build Northeast Wisconsin's first AI data center.
No formal application has been filed in Greenleaf Village, but an unknown developer is seeking to purchase land from residents to build Northeast Wisconsin's first AI data center. (WLUK)
The site in question is in the Greenleaf area, which is bordered by Highways 32 and 57 to the east. A satellite search on Google Maps shows approximately 24 properties within the proposed area.
Adam Magnuson, owner of Ledgestone Vineyards, said: “They're going to come in and secure the land without anyone knowing? They're going to make them sign non-disclosure agreements. They're basically going to hide what they're doing until they get what they need to move forward. So we need to act quickly and organize to understand what's going on.”
According to the Wisconsin Data Center Coalition, everything you do online uses data centers, including social media, streaming shows, and cloud storage. Rather than each company having its own computer, these facilities have many computers in one location.
WDCC's Tricia Brown said these data centers will help the community grow.
“Obviously, there are tremendous tax benefits that this facility will bring to the community. There will be some jobs within the facility. They're not many, but there are dozens or even hundreds of other jobs that will help build and maintain the facility and will continue to do so for several years after construction is complete,” Brown said.
LedgeStone Vineyard opposed a data center being built in their neighborhood and took to social media to spread awareness.
“We love posting about the delicious things that come out of our kitchen,” said Katrina Magnusson, owner of Ledgestone Vineyards. “It felt like an opportunity because these things happen so quickly…I think it's great in a way to have a platform that brings people together.”
Just down the road is Kyle Swalheim's 36 acres of land, which he told FOX 11 is priceless, even at the $1.8 million he was offered.
“Yes, I might get a big offer to let go of my property, but my neighbor who lives across the street isn't getting an offer. They're going to stay here because of that — lower property values and other effects. That doesn't sit well with me,” Swarheim said.
Vineyard says he's concerned about what could be lost and how the community might change.
If you would like to attend the LedgeStone Vineyard information session, it will be held Monday at 6pm at Gnarly Cedar Brewing. The goal is to help educate the environment and communities about data center destruction.
The Village of Greenleaf will hold a town meeting Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Wrightstown Town Hall.
Since reporting on the Greenleaf proposal on Monday, FOX 11 has learned that land near the Manitowoc and Kewaunee county lines is also being considered for a data center. FOX 11 spoke with Cloverleaf Infrastructure, a company that finds and develops land for data centers. The company said it is evaluating multiple parcels of land in the area for the construction of a data center.
At this time, there are no formal proposals and a more specific location has not been determined. Cloverleaf is in discussions with landowners about the possibility of purchasing the property. It shows that the region is being considered for its strong power infrastructure.
The size of the data center is not clear, but Cloverleaf said it will be at least a few hundred acres.
Wisconsin is becoming an increasingly popular location for data centers. Construction on Microsoft's data center in Mount Pleasant is currently underway and is expected to open by the end of the year. Microsoft also sought to establish a data center in nearby Caledonia, but the project was abandoned in October after intense community backlash. The data center is also being proposed by Quality Technology Services (QTS) of Dane County.
