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Port Washington residents get first look inside Wisconsin's $15-billion Vantage data center. Mayor Neitzke leads 13th tour to help residents see the construction project and ask questions Port Washington residents get their first look inside one of the largest construction projects in Wisconsin. Posted 3:47 PM, Sep 21, 2026 Port Washington residents got their first look inside one of the largest construction projects in Wisconsin - a $15-billion data center being built by Vantage Data Centers for Oracle and OpenAI. Mayor Ted Neitzke led the 13th community tour of the site, bringing 400 visitors inside Building 12, one of four super-size structures under construction. The building spans roughly 550,000-square feet and sits on land that was once farm land. TMJ4 News reporters Charles Benson and Alex Gaul has more on what residents got to see in the video below: "The center of this warehouse is going to be rack upon rack upon rack of serves and computers," Neitzke said. Vantage says between 2,800 and 3,000 construction workers are currently on the job. Neitzke, a lifelong Port Washington resident, said the project has shifted politically since it was first proposed. "This was not a political issue at all at that time. So when it was brought to us, it was like insane square foot value, incredible local value," Neitzke said. That value, he said, is measured in growing revenue for the city and its schools - without raising residential property taxes. Data centers have grown increasingly unpopular in communities across Wisconsin and the country, and the Port Washington project has not been immune to that backlash. Questions continue to arise over transmission costs, energy needs, environmental concerns, and noise. Neitzke said the tours are designed to give residents firsthand knowledge before they weigh in. "I just want you to understand what actually is going on out there. So when you go into town and somebody brings it up, you can say, 'Well, I was out there and I saw and I heard.' Whether you agree with it or not, then at least you can, you can make your comments," Neitzke said. When asked whether public sentiment has shifted, Neitzke said it has. "Yes, what I've noticed is the temperature has gone down," Neitzke said. But questions remain around transmission costs and energy needs as well environmental and noise worries. "I learned today that Vantage is going to increase intentionally how much they're going to berm around the site to continue to further reduce the sound decibels," Neitzke said. "I learned that they're going to work harder on the local level to engage and increase people's understanding." Ramon Perez, senior construction manager at Vantage Data Centers, pointed out visible changes to the site since earlier visits. "That dirt pile grew grass since the last time you were here," Perez said. Among those on the tour was Angel Tello, owner of Tello's Grille and Catering, who said his business has grown significantly since construction began. "2026, it's about four times more, the business," Tello said. But Tello said the long-term picture remains uncertain. "It's going to be good? I think nobody knows. I think time will tell us if it's good or it's bad," Tello said. Building 12 - where the tour ventured inside for the first time - sits on land that Nick Didier grew up on. His family sold the property 20 years ago, and he said the land had long been designated for industrial use. "We always knew it wasn't going to remain farmland. It's been designated for industrial for as long as I can remember," Didier said. Still, Didier described the experience as bittersweet. "I'm kind of ambivalent. I don't know if I'm either against it or for it. I think it's good for the city?" Didier said. Many of the tour's attendees have personal stakes in the project. Some say they have already been impacted by the development. This story was reported on-air by journalists Charles Benson and Alex Gaul and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Its editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. Let's talk: Hey there! At TMJ4 News, TMJ4 News is all about listening to its audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit TMJ4 News up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips. It's about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for "TMJ4" on your device.

Environmental groups sue over San Antonio data centers. The suit accuses data center developer Vantage and energy supplier VoltaGrid of skirting regulations for major air polluters, including seeking public input before construction. Three environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the developers of a pair of data center campuses in San Antonio, claiming the facilities and their associated gas-fueled power plants have been developed without the required permits, pollution-control technology and public input. The Environmental Integrity Project, the Sierra Club and Public Citizen filed their suit against Denver-based data center developer Vantage and its Houston-based energy supplier VoltaGrid in San Antonio federal court. VoltaGrid built and manages the colocated gas-fueled power plants that energize the Vantage data centers on the West Side. Together, the power plants have a 405-megawatt capacity - enough electricity to power a fifth of the homes in San Antonio, according to the suit. An additional 151 backup diesel generators, intended to keep the data centers running around the clock in case of an outage, would add 455 megawatts of generation capacity, the environmental groups maintain. The data centers have the potential to release thousands of tons of air pollutants - including those that cause smog, which can trigger asthma attacks and cause lung damage - in an area already failing federal standards for smog, the petition further argues. Indeed, one of the two computing facilities is located next to an allergy clinic. "Communities should not have to suffer excessive amounts of air pollution from data centers and power plants that fail to follow the Clean Air Act," said Mary Greene, director of enforcement at the Environmental Integrity Project. "We're suing Vantage and VoltaGrid because industrial development at this scale requires public input and stringent permits that prioritize health and air quality over the unbridled race for an economic edge." The Current was unable to reach officials with Vantage and VoltaGrid for immediate comment on the suit. In July, the environmental groups sent the companies a notice of intent to sue, arguing they had violated the federal Clean Air Act. At that time, the groups also notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. However, the companies failed to make any progress in addressing the violations, prompting the Monday lawsuit, the groups said in a press release. Both of the Vantage data centers are near SeaWorld in the industrial zone of the Westover Hills neighborhood, with one located on Rogers Road and the other on Omicron Drive. The one on Rogers Road was already "partly operational" before officials with Vantage and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) held their first public hearing. During that meeting, the proposal was met with fierce opposition from the community, with many neighbors claiming they could no longer sleep due to the constant hum. Others worried about the potential pollution caused by the data center's diesel backup generators. Vantage officials said in the hearing that the diesel backup generators would only run in the event of an emergency. But residents still wondered how frequently emergencies would occur and what constituted an emergency. "Texans increasingly distrust data center developers, and for good reason," said Nandan Joshi, attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group. "Texans deserve to hear from developers about the pollution their facilities produce in local communities. The rush to build data centers should not come at the expense of public input and community health." Due to the size of the projects and their potential pollution, the environmental groups allege the companies should have obtained "major source" pollution control permits as required by the federal Clean Air Act before starting construction. Major source permits require the best available pollution control technology and pollution monitoring. Additionally, major source permits require public participation, including public notice, comment and the right to request a hearing and appeal the permit. Instead, Vantage and VoltaGrid partnered to build "behind the meter" power plants, circumventing Texas' grid interconnection bottleneck and exploiting its fast-track approval process for minor pollution sources, the environmental groups maintain. Texas law allows Vantage to treat its power source as a separate entity, enabling the data center to apply for the same minor-source air permit that a laundromat would. These minor source permits do not require the same level of pollution controls or monitoring, nor do they afford the public an opportunity to weigh in or to object. A report by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) estimates that the Vantage/VoltaGrid power plants are among at least 74 "behind-the-meter" plants nationally. Collectively, these plants could become responsible for 62 million tons per year of greenhouse gas pollution, the report found. This would have the climate-warming impact of 140 million cars and trucks driving for a year - or the annual emissions of either Australia or France. According to the legal complaint, the environmental groups seek to stop all construction and operation activities at the data centers and their power plants until they undergo the rigorous permitting the Clean Air Act and Texas law requires for major polluters, including considering public input. "Vantage and VoltaGrid want to come into this Texas neighborhood and dump thousands of tons of air pollutants into an already smoggy community - and they want to do it without the proper permits or even hearing what impacted people have to say," said Josh Smith, senior attorney for the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program. "Our lawsuit sends a clear sign that we cannot allow the AI industry to go rogue with our health and future."

107-lot subdivision planned in Port Washington. Sep 15, 2026 1:59 pm Subscribe to BizTimes Daily - Local news about the people, companies and issues that impact business in Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin. A developer is planning a 107-lot subdivision south of East Sauk Road and East of Interstate 43 in Port Washington, according to plans filed with the city's Plan Commission. Bob Tillmann submitted the proposal, which includes four cul-de-sacs with average lot sizes of less than one acre. The property, which spans 60-acres, will also include a connection to the Interurban Trail, according to the documents. The City of Port Washington submitted a request to expand the area's sewer boundary area as part of a broader update tied to Vantage Data Center's $15 billion data center campus project for OpenAI and Oracle. Because the proposed subdivision is currently outside the city's sewer boundary area, that expansion could help support the project, according to the documents. - Advertisement - If the subdivision concept plan is approved, the owners and development team will request annexation into the city, according to the documents. The city will review the pre-concept plans at its Sept. 17 meeting.