Menomonie City Council Annexes Land for Potential Data Center

RED CEDAR, Wis (WCFW / WSCM) – The Menomonie City Council approved annexing and rezoning land from the town of Red Cedar for a potential data center in the future.

The request to annex and rezone the land was originally submitted by Balloonist LLC, which proposed developing the land for the data center. On Monday, the Menomonie City Council voted in favor of the annexation.

The subject land currently belongs to the Town of Red Cedar between 650th and 690th Avenue to the north of I-94. The City Council also approved rezoning it from Agriculture to Restricted Industrial.

Area residents raised concerns about the potential health and environmental effects of the proposed data center. Water use is a common environmental concern with similar projects, and the current proposal for the potential data center calls for using 75,000 gallons of water per day on average. Additionally, city officials noted that if the plans for a data center materialize in the future they would need to conduct an environmental assessment.

Some residents also raised concerns about the proposed facility making it difficult for them to sell their nearby properties in the future. Proponents of similar data center projects like one in Racine County tout job production and advancing the technology sector of the state’s economy as benefits.

City officials advised those residents that Monday’s vote only covered annexing and rezoning the land, not what they will build there. A representative from Balloonist LLC also spoke at the meeting, saying the company has no site or construction plan at this time and does not intend to begin construction until at least 2027.