Right now, there is nothing in Milwaukee's law books to regulate where data centers can be built, how big they can be, or how much say residents get before one opens in their neighborhood. A new zoning proposal aims to change that — and Milwaukee's Common Council needs to pass it.

The ordinance, sponsored by Alders Marina Dimitrijevic and Alex Brower, would create the city's first rules for data centers. It would ban large facilities — those bigger than 60,000 square feet — outright. Smaller data centers would only be allowed in light or heavy industrial zones, and would require public approval before moving forward. As Dimitrijevic put it: "The scary thing is that right now there's nothing on the books. I wanted to set forward a path that at least began the discussion of regulation."

Wisconsin is in the middle of a data center building boom. Massive campuses are already under construction in Port Washington and Mount Pleasant. Meta is building a 700,000-square-foot facility in Beaver Dam. Milwaukee has so far avoided becoming a target for these developments — but that could change, and the city would have no tools to respond.

Other Wisconsin communities aren't waiting. Madison passed a one-year moratorium on data centers in January. Manitowoc County approved an 18-month moratorium in April. Milwaukee doesn't need a freeze — it needs a framework. This ordinance provides one.

Alder Brower said the goal is simple: "We want our economic development to be driven by public input and not just by developers and the business class." That's not a partisan idea. It's a basic standard that residents across the political spectrum can support — the belief that people should have a voice in what gets built where they live.

We are calling on the Milwaukee Common Council to pass this zoning ordinance without delay. Milwaukee residents deserve clear rules, real transparency, and a seat at the table before the next data center proposal lands on the city's doorstep.