Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for $15 Billion Data Center Campus in Wisconsin Amid Local Controversy
December 20, 2025
A major data center project, representing one of the largest private investments in Wisconsin's history, has officially commenced construction in Port Washington despite significant local opposition. The development underscores the intense competition for hyperscale data center capacity driven by the artificial intelligence boom, while also highlighting growing community tensions over the resource demands and governance of such massive infrastructure projects.
Vantage Data Centers confirmed that a ceremonial groundbreaking was held this past Wednesday for its Lighthouse campus. The company is developing the facility for anchor tenants Oracle and OpenAI. Upon completion, the $15 billion-plus campus is projected to create approximately 1,000 permanent jobs for its operations. The construction phase itself is expected to employ 4,000 workers, with a focus on union labor.
Mark Freeman, Vice President of Global Marketing for Vantage Data Centers, framed the project as transformative. “We have broken ground on the Lighthouse campus, which is a union-first project, creating more than 4,000 skilled construction jobs,” Freeman stated. “And our customers will employ approximately 1,000 individuals to operate this campus when it’s completed. This is a once-in-a-generation investment in Wisconsin.”
However, the project has faced sustained criticism from a segment of Port Washington residents. Organized under the group Great Lakes Neighbors United, opponents have raised concerns about the campus's potential water consumption, strain on power generation, and the financial impact on taxpayers. These concerns have been voiced repeatedly at public meetings since the project was announced. The frustration culminated in a formal effort to recall Mayor Ted Neitzke, whom critics accuse of a lack of transparency regarding the deal.
Sebastian Elischer, a resident filing the recall paperwork on behalf of the opposition group, explained their motivation in a recent interview. “We believe the people should have the last word in a business deal that we believe to be shrouded in mystery,” Elischer said. The recall effort requires organizers to gather about 1,600 valid signatures from city residents within 60 days.
In a detailed statement responding to the recall campaign, Mayor Neitzke defended the project's approval process and emphasized its benefits. “Much of the rhetoric currently surrounding this recall is rooted in misinformation rather than the complex facts of municipal governance,” the mayor wrote. He positioned the data center as a crucial solution for reducing the city's high property tax burden, which currently falls heavily on homeowners.
The situation in Port Washington reflects a broader industry inflection point. As technology firms race to build AI-ready infrastructure, data center developers are targeting new regions, often encountering communities grappling with the trade-offs between economic investment and local resource stewardship. The outcome of this conflict may influence how future projects are proposed and approved in similar markets.
Source: tmj4
