Milldam Minute

Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam News

This week brought another round of sharp contrasts across the data center landscape — from community-led defeats and corporate withdrawals to zoning rewrites that push controversial projects forward. In Wisconsin, Microsoft abruptly scrapped its Caledonia proposal after outcry from nearly 2,000 residents, while just up the road, Vantage’s $8 billion Port Washington campus moved ahead despite protests outside City Hall. In Alabama, Bessemer officials changed local zoning laws to allow hyperscale data centers in light-industrial […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam News

This week’s Zoning In highlights how data center growth is reshaping policy and infrastructure across the U.S. In California, PG&E announced a $73 billion plan to upgrade transmission systems in response to rising data center electricity demand. In Maryland, a coalition of environmental and land use groups formed to coordinate responses and provide resources to communities evaluating new projects. Meanwhile, lawsuits, rezoning battles, and moratoria continue from Georgia to Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, while states […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly, Milldam News

This week’s Zoning In highlights some of the hottest flashpoints in the national data center debate: township denials in Michigan, strained emergency services in Ohio, calls for public forums in Oregon, a potential moratorium in St. Louis, and environmental justice concerns in Georgia and Alabama. Communities are increasingly framing these projects around issues of water, power, noise, transparency, and equity. At the same time, broader political currents are beginning to converge. On September 20, hundreds […]

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Is Private Equity the Next Flashpoint for Data Center Opposition?

Is Private Equity the Next Flashpoint for Data Center Opposition?

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam News

Why Developers Must Factor Political Risk Into Community Relations and PR By Adam Waitkunas Private equity has become one of the most important growth drivers in the data center industry. In recent years, a flood of investment capital has fueled record-setting mergers, acquisitions, and development projects as the world races to build the infrastructure powering AI and the cloud. For data center operators and developers, this surge of investment has created extraordinary opportunities. But as […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam News

This week’s Zoning In tracks a surge of new data center proposals—and growing resistance—stretching from Texas and Georgia to Wisconsin, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and beyond. Communities are raising alarms over water consumption, grid strain, noise, and transparency, prompting local officials to consider moratoria, tighten zoning rules, and even rescind prior approvals. At the same time, states like Missouri and Pennsylvania grapple with shielding ratepayers from rising energy costs while attracting billions in AI-driven investment. […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam News

Policy guardrails and public pushback continue to shape where — and whether — data centers get built. This week saw multiple counties and cities consider moratoria or new zoning rules, as residents across the country rally against proposals over their water, energy, and environmental impacts. Meanwhile, developers and economic development boards argue data centers are vital tax generators that can offset residential burdens, even as local leaders seek stronger siting controls and transparency. Prince William […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute

Policy guardrails are catching up to AI infrastructure. Georgia proposes new DRI thresholds and disclosures, Pima County expands NDA and environmental review rules, and Virginia’s SCC weighs cost allocation for high-load customers. Communities from Mississippi to Virginia continue to organize, and a new report warns of potential Great Lakes water stress from data centers. Meanwhile, Brazil signals “Redata” incentives to lure renewable-powered builds. Brazil Launching Data Center Incentives Next Month to Woo Big Tech Brazil […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly, Milldam News, Outreach

This week’s lead story: St. Charles, Missouri, has become the first U.S. city to enact a citywide moratorium on data centers. The one-year ban underscores a growing wave of data center community resistance that has already stalled or stopped more than $64 billion in projects across 24 states. At the same time, in Arizona, Project Blue has resurfaced — Beale Infrastructure is pressing ahead in Pima County even after Tucson blocked water access and residents […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly, Milldam News

This week’s Zoning In highlights how community opposition is evolving from town halls to the ballot box. In Georgia, a newly formed Political Action Committee is targeting pro–data center commissioners, signaling that opposition groups are sharpening their tools to influence not just projects, but politics itself. Across the country, we also saw projects delayed, withdrawn, or re-zoned amid protests in Virginia, Alabama, Arizona, Indiana, and Missouri. Meanwhile, watchdogs and regulators are weighing in on the […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly

This week’s Zoning In roundup underscores a growing reality: the U.S. data center boom is no longer just an industry story — it’s a political, environmental, and community flashpoint. From NASCAR country in North Carolina to the deserts of Arizona, rural Georgia, and booming Richmond, VA, projects are colliding with concerns over water, energy, noise, and land use. Local governments are tightening zoning codes, residents are organizing against mega-campuses, and states are rethinking incentives to […]

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