Site could offer up to 200MW
City officials in Wisconsin are hoping to find a partner to turn a former car manufacturing site into a new data center campus.
As reported by WKOW and others, the Janesville city council this week voted in favor of a new data center development at a former General Motors assembly plant.
Rather than receiving a direct planning application from a developer to repurpose the 240-acre brownfield site, the council approved plans to send out a request for proposal for prospective firms to turn the property into a data center campus.
The city council members voted 6-1 Monday to approve Janesville Economic Development's proposal to put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) to redevelop the former General Motors/Janesville Automotive Transport Company (GM/JATCO) land and potentially turn it into a data center. Officials voted against a community oversight committee for the project at this stage.
Located across two plots at 1000 General Motors Drive and 544 Kellogg Avenue, the property was originally home to the 4.8 million-square-foot Janesville Assembly Plant. In operation for nearly 90 years, General Motors ceased operations at the plant in 2008.
The plant primarily produced SUVs, including the Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, and GMC Yukon/Yukon XL.
The site was acquired by a private developer in 2017 but has remained undeveloped; the city is in the midst of buying up the property in order to offer it out for development.
Council documents note the site includes a power distribution facility currently capable of supporting up to 25MW of power, with potential near-term upgrades to accommodate larger power users. Early studies suggest up to 200MW could be provided to the site in around two years.
During the meeting, city economic development officials said they have received “multiple” inquiries regarding power capacity and potential for data center development at the site.
The RFP will assess if data centers are a feasible use for the former auto plant and if such developments are suitable for the area. The RFP does not commit the city to any project. While the RFP could be completed in the next couple of months, it could take up to 24 months to perform all the required power feasibility studies.
Janesville is located some 40 miles southeast of Madison and some 75 miles southwest of Milwaukee.
Wisconsin doesn’t have a huge data center market, but the likes of Microsoft, Meta, and Vantage are developing in the Badger State. Ark (formerly Involta), TierPoint, 1547 CSR, and Expedient are also present in the state.
QTS recently announced potential plans to develop a 15-building campus around Madison.
