One thing is clear about the proposed development of the former Walmart at Midtown Center that would use a portion of the building for data processing – community members want more information.
“I’m open to hearing what it’s going to be about, but I’m worried,” said Sherman Park resident Sherry Scott on the project being planned at the former Walmart site, 5825 W. Hope Ave.
The City Plan Commission removed two items related to the project’s zoning from its meeting agenda for May 18 after organizing groups shared public documents about the project on social media.
Mabel Lamb, executive director of the Sherman Park Community Association, said her organization shared information about the project to inform residents about the possibility of a data center being developed nearby. Midtown Center is located just north of Sherman Park’s boundary.
“People want to know everything,” Lamb said. “I think that’s appropriate. And they should be allowed to ask questions and have some clarity.”
A spokesperson for the Department of City Development said it is seeking clarifying details on the technology portion, but the proposal has not used the language of “data center.”
Only 10,000 to 19,000 square feet would be used for a data processing/computer services/computer research facility, according to project documents.
Most of the160,000-square-foot former Walmart is proposed to be a climate-controlled, self-service storage facility, with additionalspaces in the front for a new location for the Capitol branch of the Milwaukee Public Library and other community space that could be used by the City of Milwaukee.
The City Plan Commission approved an affordable housing project in the parking lot north of the building in April.
What will the site be used for?
AFS Milwaukee LLC purchased the former Walmart site in 2022 and presented a plan to develop it as a self-storage facility in 2023, which the city rejected.
The new project narrative describes using 10,000 to 19,000 square feet of space for “high-performance computing,” with offices for engineers and a lab that will house equipment running various research models. It lists equipment like server racks, a cooling system with air handling units and a backup generator.
Ald. Mark Chambers Jr. said in a statement on May 14 that a high technology use is part of the proposal.
“While the details of their submittal are not final, that use is expected to have a small footprint and, with respect to water, utilize a closed loop system that will be entirely self-sustaining and require no water from the local supply. Its power needs will be similarly limited,” he said.
What are data centers?
Data centers are physical locations that store computers and hardware like servers and network equipment.
Banks and businesses commonly maintained their own data centers before the rise of cloud computing, according to Dijo Alexander, a professor of practice at the Lubar College of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the director of the information technology management program.
Hyperscale data centers that cover hundreds of acres and cost billions, like the projects being developed in Mount Pleasant and Port Washington, have prompted concerns from residents about high energy and water use, noise pollution and burdening taxpayers.
“They need a huge amount of electricity, a huge amount of water to cool down the computers … and a relatively large footprint of land,” Alexander said.
More transparency
Jeannie Berry-Matos, who lives in Sherman Park and is on the Neighborhood Improvement District board, said she is disappointed in the plans even if only a small part of the building is used for data processing or a medical research facility.
“What value would it bring to this whole community?” Berry-Matos asked.
Scott said she wants to see Midtown Center flourish and prosper, but she has questions about whether the owner has created this type of facility before, how it works and who they talked to in the community.
“If you bring in something good for us, then you should be able to explain it,” Scott said.
Melody McCurtis, deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, said that the developers did not engage the public effectively or address health and environmental concerns about how the project would impact surrounding communities.
“The proposal that they submitted is not really clear,” she said.
What’s next?
If the development still seeks approval, it will be presented to the City Plan Commission at a later date.
Chambers acknowledged that community members had not received enough information on the project and said once new information is available, he will seek out community feedback.
Party for Socialism and Liberation Milwaukee, No Kings MKE, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and the Sherman Park Community Association are hosting a community meeting about data centers at the Milwaukee Liberation Center, 1920 W. North Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20.
“I really want alders to really think about a citywide moratorium on new data centers,” McCurtis said.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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