Solar ordinance advances as Sawyer County discusses data centers

The Sawyer County Zoning Committee has voted to move a draft solar ordinance forward for legal review.

The proposed ordinance would set rules for mid-, large-, and community-scale solar projects, along with battery energy storage systems. For now, those projects are currently on hold under a county moratorium while officials work to establish regulations.

While reviewing the draft earlier this month, zoning administrator Jay Kozlowski questioned whether data centers should be included in the same ordinance as solar projects, or regulated separately.

“I would not want to see a data center come to Sawyer County. Maybe I’m speaking for myself on that, but the amount of water that is used, the amount of land that is disturbed, that is a huge detrimental impact to the natural resources of our area,” says Kolzowski.

Legal counsel Rebecca Roeker suggested that the committee keep the two issues separate, saying that including data centers could slow progress on the solar ordinance.

“I think at this point in time you’re making progress on the solar and the BESS ordinance that if we add data centers to it, it would pause.”

Roeker also says that data centers are a relatively new land-use issue, with limited state guidance on how local governments should regulate them.

Kozlowski said a temporary approach could have data centers in the zoning code and limit them to industrial districts through conditional use permits, a process that would likely require rezoning and public hearings.

Roeker says the option could work, but adds that defining data centers could be challenging, especially with potential state law changes ahead.

The committee also discussed a separate clarification in the solar ordinance. One supervisor questioned whether solar panels would be allowed on vacant land, or if a building would need to be in place first. Roeker said that language may need to be clarified.

The committee approved two rezones in Meadowbrook for agricultural use, two conditional use permits for accessory structures, and a certified survey map over an existing county plat.

Members denied a rezone request in Bass Lake, tabled a rezone request in Hunter, and accepted the withdrawal of a rezone request in Round Lake.

The zoning committee is slated to meet again on February 20.