WRIGHTSTOWN (NBC 26) — Wrightstown village leaders are now considering a moratorium on data centers after initially rejecting the idea, as residents organize and collect signatures to halt developments.
Neighbors in Wrightstown have spent weeks showing up at meetings and organizing independently, united in opposition to data centers coming to their community.
Alli Butcher, a Wrightstown resident, said she has a personal stake in the outcome.
"Its our environment, it's our home, it's our livelihood, it's our water, it's our clean air, our children, all of those things motivate me," Butcher said.
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Butcher and other neighbors say they want development halted while the community weighs in.
"We're speaking out now, we're saying this is important, we're saying we want a pause, we want a hold," Butcher said.
Village Administrator Travis Coenen says the village is now actively researching a moratorium after initially refusing to consider one.
"We got a good understanding of what the community is looking for and truly that's a moratorium or a referendum," Coenen said.
In a village meeting earlier this month, several Wrightstown neighbors pushed back against the idea of building a data center in the village.
"We're looking at other communities with moratoriums in place and just seeing how they put that together," Coenen said.
At Tuesday night's village board meeting, board member Ryan Roebke recommended an advisory referendum be placed before voters at the Aug. 11 election, asking residents whether they support a data center in Wrightstown.
An advisory referendum is non-binding, meaning government officials can gauge public opinion without being required to take any action.
"I think it will have a huge impact on the board's decision," Coenen said.
Coenen says the board will not entertain any data center developments before the vote and intends to follow the results.
In the meantime, Butcher is collecting signatures urging the village to adopt a moratorium sooner.
"It's going to effect our road structure, our clean air, our soil, our property values just the health implications alone for what? Potential tax money? Because nothing is guaranteed. So why? Why risk it?" Butcher said.
Internal emails between Wrightstown Village Administrator Travis Coenen and data center developer Cloverleaf reveal communication dating back to January.
The village continues to hold listening sessions on the topic, with two more to go this month — May 26 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and May 31 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Additionally, neighbors of Wrightstown are hosting an information session on data center impacts at Gnarly Cedar on June 1 at 6:30 p.m.
