Microsoft Kenosha data center site
Microsoft bought 240 acres of farmland in Kenosha for a future data center campus. Plans filed in 2024 showed four buildings of 250,000 square feet each and a substation. Microsoft still needs site plan approval and building permits.
Where things stand: Land rezoned for a data center in Dec. 2024 and bought by Microsoft in 2025. Site plan and building permits still needed.
🕒 Latest update (Aug 2026): Residents asked the city for a moratorium on the project. No moratorium had passed.
What we know
- 📍 WhereNorthwest of I-94 and Highway 142 (NE corner of 136th Avenue and Burlington Road), land annexed from the town of Paris, Kenosha, Kenosha County
- 🏢 CompanyMicrosoft
- 🏛️ Owned byMicrosoft
- 👤 Built forMicrosoft
- 🌳 Size240 acres
- 🤐 Secret deal (NDA)Yes. The city signed a secret deal (NDA) with Microsoft in May 2024. It ended on June 22, 2026.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- When will Microsoft file a site plan for the Kenosha land? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much power and water would the Kenosha campus use? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- May 2024The City of Kenosha signed an NDA with Microsoft.
- Nov 21, 2024The city plan commission approved adding the land to the city and rezoning it for a four-building data center campus.
- Dec 16, 2024The Common Council approved the land transfer and rezoning.
- Jan 27, 2025Microsoft and the state announced Microsoft bought the 240 acres.
- Aug 2026Residents asked the city for a moratorium on the project. No moratorium had passed.
Local votes and rules
🗺️ Zoning change
Kenosha's Common Council approved adding about 240 acres to the city and rezoning it for a four-building data center campus. Microsoft bought the land in 2025.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Microsoft buys 240 acres in Kenosha, expanding Wisconsin footprint · FOX6 Milwaukee · Jan 27, 2025
- Another data center development proposed in southeast Wisconsin · Wisconsin Public Radio · Nov 15, 2024
- Kenosha-area residents call for data center moratorium · Wisconsin Public Radio · Aug 27, 2026
- At least four Wisconsin communities signed secrecy deals for data centers · Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / Wisconsin Watch · Feb 1, 2026
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