Three weeks after Milwaukee's Common Council voted to pause new data centers, a zoning file involving tribal trust land on the city's west side is before the city. On Nov. 4, 2026, the Department of City Development introduced Common Council File 260971. The ordinance would amend the "Concordia Trust Phase II" Detailed Planned Development at 3234 W. State St. "to allow future expansion of tribal business" on Forest County Potawatomi Community trust land, according to the city's Legistar record. On Nov. 9 the file was referred to the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee.
The city record does not use the words "data center." It describes only "future expansion of tribal business." That matters because the city's data center pause, passed Oct. 13, contains an exception for planned development districts, and this file is an amendment to one. The city records reviewed for this article do not say whether the file relates to a data center at all, and they contain no statement on how the pause would apply to it.
What the City File Says
The Legistar record, last modified Nov. 9, describes File 260971 as an ordinance for the First Amendment to the Detailed Planned Development known as Concordia Trust Phase II. The site is on the north side of West State Street, east of North 33rd Street, in the 4th Aldermanic District. The requester is the Department of City Development. The file's type is listed as an ordinance.
The history shows two actions so far. The file was assigned to the Common Council on Nov. 4, and on Nov. 9 it was referred to the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee. The status reads "In Committee," and a note on the file says "Refer to CPC," which refers to the City Plan Commission. The record lists no hearing date and no vote.
The Moratorium the File Meets
The pause is Common Council File 251924, "A substitute ordinance relating to a temporary pause in the establishment and development of data centers." The Legistar record shows the file was introduced Mar. 3, 2026, and that it carries a status of "Passed." Its history includes these steps:
- Mar. 24: referred to the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee
- July 28: held to the call of the chair in committee
- Sept. 28: approved conditionally by the City Plan Commission
- Oct. 6: a second substitute was adopted in committee, and the committee recommended passage
- Oct. 13: passed by the Common Council
- Oct. 14: signed by the mayor
- Oct. 16: published by the City Clerk
The city file includes the text of several versions. The first substitute listed Ald. Dimitrijevic, Brower, Stamper, Bauman and Moore as sponsors. The final version, Substitute 2, lists the Common Council as sponsor. Its analysis says the ordinance "prohibits the establishment of new data centers or the enlargement of existing data centers for 1 year, or until the zoning code is amended to regulate data centers." Part 3 of the text says it is in effect for "the lesser of 1 year after passage, or until the zoning code is amended to regulate data centers."
The text defines a data center as a facility, other than a transmission tower, used primarily to operate, maintain or provide access to computer and network facilities for transmitting voice, data, text, internet, sound or video between network termination points, together with accessory uses such as offices, air handlers, power generators, generator fuel storage, water cooling and storage facilities, and supporting utility infrastructure. It excludes a computer server room or a facility that serves another principal use on the same premises.
The text also contains an exception: "This prohibition shall not apply to planned development districts under s. 295-907." The ordinance says Common Council File 260142 is intended to amend the zoning code to set a regulatory framework for data centers. The city record shows File 260142, "A substitute ordinance relating to the building of data centers," is still in committee.
What Officials and Business Groups Said
Wisconsin Public Radio reported on Oct. 21 that the council passed the moratorium unanimously and that Mayor Cavalier Johnson signed it the day after the vote. Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic told WPR's "Wisconsin Today" that before the moratorium the city had essentially no zoning rules or regulations on data center construction. She said zoning has to account for land use, effects on neighbors, noise and possible pollution, and she raised concerns about the regional energy grid and utility costs. "Government is not set up to move that fast, which is why we have to pause," she said.
WPR reported that Dale Kooyenga, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said his group opposed the moratorium. He told the station a pause "sends the wrong message for a city that really needs more economic development." WPR also reported that the moratorium came in response to public controversy over a proposed project to redevelop a vacant Walmart on the city's north side. Citing the Data Center Map, WPR put the number of data centers in Wisconsin at 53, with at least 19 of varying sizes in the Greater Milwaukee area.
Why This File Matters
The Potawatomi file takes the form of an amendment to a planned development, and the moratorium text excludes planned development districts under s. 295-907. Read together, those two documents are why the file is worth watching. Whether the exception covers an amendment to an existing planned development, and whether the underlying use would count as a data center under the ordinance's definition, are questions the city documents reviewed here do not answer. They would be settled through the city's review process.
The file's own title refers to tribal business expansion generally. DataCenterFeed attempted to read an Urban Milwaukee report that links the amendment to a planned data center addition, but the site returned an HTTP 403 error and no archived copy was available. This article therefore does not rely on that report, and it does not repeat that report's project details, such as square footage, customer counts or statements from company officials.
What Happens Next
As of its Nov. 9 update, the Legistar record shows File 260971 "In Committee" with the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee, carrying a note to refer it to the City Plan Commission. No hearing date is listed.
The moratorium itself, passed Oct. 13, lasts one year from passage or until the zoning code is amended to regulate data centers, whichever is sooner. The companion zoning-code file, 260142, is still in committee according to the city record.
