‘Is it a data center or is it not?’: Confusion continues over Midtown Center redevelopment 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - A new proposal from the City of Milwaukee and outside developers could reshape the empty Walmart and parking lot in the Midtown Center area. 

The Walmart near 60th and Capitol closed down in 2016 and has been empty since. 

The proposal includes 200 affordable housing units in the parking lot, a city library inside the building along with a computer research facility. 

“It’s not a data center, there will be servers, there will be computers, but they would generally be doing research within the facility just like the Medical College of Wisconsin, doing the same thing,” Milwaukee Alderman Mark Chambers said. 

The proposal says, “this is considered a very small facility compared to large hyperscale data center campuses.”

“That’s what’s throwing me off, I wanna know the truth, is it a data center or is it not,” Milwaukee resident Nicole Johnson said. “Even if it was a data center, I think it’s important for us to know exactly what it means.”

The potential computer science facility would be 19,000 square feet. 

“I know the narrative throughout the country is elected leaders are trying to do backroom deals or anything like that, I don’t do that, but ya know honestly this is an opportunity for us to do what’s right and what’s good for this neighborhood,” Chambers said.