Wisconsin News

Port Washington limits construction hours for data center project after complaints

March 21, 2026

Port Washington officials are limiting construction hours at the massive data center campus being built in the city following complaints from residents who live near the site.

Construction on the $15 billion Vantage Data Centers campus is currently allowed to occur for 24 hours a day during weekdays. That has angered some nearby residents, who have complained about noise and light pollution as well as traffic due to the nonstop construction.

In response, the Port Washington Plan Commission on Thursday unanimously passed an amendment to the building, site and operations plan for the development. The amendment limits outdoor construction to between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Lighting also has to be “reduced to security levels” after 8:30 p.m.

Those changes will start April 18.

“This allows the project’s developer, Vantage Data Centers, a brief transition period to work with its contractors and modify schedules for workers,” a press release from the city said.

Kim Tydrick lives less than a mile away from the developement site. She said construction lights shine into her home.

What’s worse, she said, is “the incessant beep, beep, beep, beep, beep of all these trucks backing up, 24 hours a day,” Tydrick said.

Tydrick said she’s worried construction will be constant for yet another month until the new hours go into effect next month.

“It has taken away our quality of life,” she said. “We moved here for the peace and quiet. I moved here to see the night sky. And we don’t have any of that anymore.”

During a Port Washington Common Council meeting in February, Dean Wiegert, who also lives near the site, said construction noises and lights affect him daily. He spoke again at Thursday’s meeting.

“I would just want to urge all of you to do what you can, to please end the 24-hour work, and do it as soon as possible,” Wiegert told the Council. “I don’t think another month is … acceptable, and I don’t think anybody else here thinks that either.”

In a statement, Port Washington Mayor Ted Neitzke IV said allowing 24-hour construction work “was always going to be temporary.”

“Eventually, much of the work on this project will be done indoors and be less noticeable,” Neitzke said in the statement.

Neitzke said the city originally allowed extended hours of construction for the project to get it to the point of being indoors “as quickly as possible.”

“But based on what we have heard from nearby residents, the benefits of speeding up the construction timeline are not worth the additional inconvenience,” he continued. “The overnight work is simply too disruptive and needs to end.”

When the data center buildings are “fully enclosed” at the site, construction can take place inside those buildings 24 hours a day Monday through Friday and until 11:59 p.m. on Saturdays.

The amendment says construction work on Sundays will need approval from the city administrator, “if it is determined to be necessary to make up for lost time due to site closure during permitted hours.” But construction work is limited to one Sunday per month, and that work must take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In a Friday email, Mark Freeman, vice president of global marketing for Vantage Data Centers, said the company is “committed to working closely with the city to ensure our Lighthouse campus construction aligns with both project goals and community interests.”

“Our main priorities are to keep the project on schedule, maintain a safe working environment for everyone involved and be considerate of the needs of Port Washington residents,” Freeman wrote.