Data center profile · Former General Motors plant, 1000 General Motors Drive, Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin

Janesville Data Center (former GM plant)

Viridian Partners pitched an 800 MW, $8B campus for the 250-acre former General Motors site in Janesville, Wisconsin (press); letter of intent expired June 2026.

Dead, letter expired. On June 22, 2026 the city council voted unanimously to let its non-binding letter of intent with Viridian expire. No purchase agreement, permit, tenant, financing or power contract was ever signed, and the site is still a vacant city-owned brownfield.
800 MW
campus power demand the developer announced
never contracted; city memo cited about 25 MW existing and 200+ MW possible only with transmission upgrades
$8B
investment claimed for an 11-building campus (press)
no financing was ever disclosed
250 acres
city-owned former GM and JATCO site, seven parcels
Viridian offered $10M and a $30M cleanup
Nov. 3, 2026
voters decide on approval rules for large GM-site projects
projects over $450M would need a majority vote
OperatorViridian Partners (Viridian Acquisitions LLC), a Colorado brownfield redeveloper; the city owns the land
CustomerNone named; the campus was to be built for an unnamed future operator
Planned IT capacity640 MW at full build-out (our estimate from the company's 0.8 GW campus power figure)
Next deadlineNov. 3, 2026: Referendum on voter approval of GM-site projects over $450M
Permits

Permits checklist

2 pending · 1 granted · 4 checked, nothing on file

Approvals a campus like this normally needs, and what the record shows. Almost none were ever applied for.

Risks

Why it stopped, what could revive it

Power

Power and the grid

None energized or contracted yet

Alliant Energy grid service, with American Transmission Co. upgradesPlanned only, never contracted
800 MW
developer's announced demand; the city memo cited about 25 MW existing and 200+ MW possible with upgrades; nothing contracted News report · July 2025
Proposed
Not used, not on record, or dropped

Getting on the grid

Who supplies what, what it costs, and what is still not public.

  1. July 14, 2025
    City memo sizes the power
    The economic development memo puts existing capacity at about 25 MW, with 200+ MW possible through transmission upgrades. News report · July 2025
  2. Sept. 4, 2026
    Alliant files a large-load rate
    Alliant asks the state commission for a standard rate for customers of 100 MW or more; no filing named this campus. News report · Sept. 2026
  3. As of Oct. 2026
    No state power filing
    No certificate, electric service agreement or large-load docket names this campus. see Permits
  4. Not set
    Utility agreement: none
    Alliant never received a campus filing, and no developer remains to hold one. News report · Sept. 2026
Money

Money on record

$8B
investment claimed for the campus (press)
no lender, equity sponsor or tenant disclosed News report · Dec. 2025
$10M
Viridian's offered purchase price for the site
plus a cleanup estimated at $30M News report · Nov. 2025
~$3.5M
city paid for the site in lieu of condemnation (press)
the prior owner had not cashed the check as of Nov. 2025 News report · July 2025
$5M
federal appropriation to the city for FY2026
funds the city's own site work, not Viridian Local government · July 2026
$30M
estimated cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination
Local government · Feb. 2026

Not on record: incentives committed to the developer: no development agreement, tax district or state award Local government · July 2026

Timeline

What happened, and what is due

SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
  1. Feb. 26, 2024
    Site Council approves a condemnation order to take the blighted GM site from its owner News report · Feb. 2024
  2. May 1, 2025
    Site Viridian emails the city an unsolicited proposal for the site, a year after first contact News report · May 2025
  3. July 8, 2025
    Site City announces it owns the site News report · July 2025
  4. July 14, 2025
    Site Economic development director recommends a request for proposals for a data center News report · July 2025
  5. Nov. 10, 2025
    Permits Council approves a non-binding letter of intent with Viridian, 5-2 News report · Nov. 2025
  6. Dec. 19, 2025
    Site Press describes an 800 MW, 11-building, $8B campus News report · Dec. 2025
  7. Jan. 21, 2026
    Site Clerk certifies 3,927 petition signatures for voter approval of large site projects News report · Jan. 2026
  8. Feb. 9, 2026
    Permits Council votes 7-0 to put the voter-approval question on the Nov. 3 ballot News report · Feb. 2026
  9. June 22, 2026
    Site Council unanimously lets the Viridian letter of intent expire News report · June 2026
  10. Sept. 14, 2026
    Permits City introduces a 12-month citywide data-center moratorium Local government · Sept. 2026
  11. Oct. 13, 2026
    Permits Public hearing on the moratorium; final adoption not confirmed News report · Oct. 2026
  12. Nov. 3, 2026
    Site Voters decide the approval-rules referendum Local government · Sept. 2026
Construction activity

Satellite captures by quarter

Since March 2022: 27 satellite captures. The chart starts in the first quarter of 2023; 4 earlier records are not drawn.

Satellite
’23
’24
’25
’26
Dot size: records in the quarter, largest = 3. Two-digit years mark each first quarter.
The buildings

Specs

11 buildings
in the announced plan (press); other reports say 8 to 11 buildings using 600 to 800 MW
News report · Dec. 2025
250 acres
seven parcels the city acquired in lieu of condemnation (July 2025)
Local government · July 2026
6,400 gallons a day
per building, closed-loop air-cooled design (developer proposal, press)
News report · Nov. 2025
Who is involved

Owners, partners and builders

Owners and developers
  • Viridian Partners (Viridian Acquisitions LLC): developer; president Tate Goss
  • Real Capital Solutions: joint-venture partner referenced in the letter of intent
  • City of Janesville: landowner and seller
Decision-makers
  • Janesville City Council
  • Wisconsin DNR: cleanup oversight
  • Stantec: consultant on the city's new redevelopment plan
Power
  • Alliant Energy (Wisconsin Power & Light): local utility
  • American Transmission Co.: transmission upgrades needed above about 200 MW
Opponents and critics
  • SNOW Janesville and No Janesville Data Center: led the petition
  • Forward Janesville (chamber of commerce): urged the council not to renew the letter
Still unknown

Open questions

Where this comes from

256 records from 37 documents

Drawn from news reports, public and commercial datasets, local government records, state agency records, securities filings, our own analysis, company statements and satellite captures, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.

News report 22Dataset 7Local government 5State agency 3SEC filing 2Analysis 2Company 1Satellite 0
Evidence

Every quote behind this page

Grade key: A = the primary record itself (permit, filing, exhibit) · B = a dated official statement · C = news reporting. Map distances are our own measurements on OpenStreetMap and carry no grade. Allegations in lawsuits are marked as such in the quotes.

Power (19)
  • SEC filings: No SEC filing names Viridian Acquisitions LLC, Viridian Partners, or a Janesville data center
    “All-filer search for "Viridian Acquisitions" returned 0 documents”
    SEC filing · Oct. 2026 · grade A
  • Stated campus size: 800 MW
    “Viridian Partners is proposing a data center development that would consist of multiple buildings depending on the availability of power, up to 800 MW”
    Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade A
  • Stated campus size: 800 MW
    “800 (developer-announced full-build campus electricity demand; never contracted — city staff memo cited ~25 MW of existing capacity at the site and 200+ MW possible only with transmission upgrades)”
    grade B
  • Utility: Alliant Energy (Wisconsin Power & Light territory); transmission via American Transmission Co (ATC)
    “Alliant Energy (Wisconsin Power & Light territory); transmission via American Transmission Co (ATC)”
    grade B
  • Nearest power line of 345 kV or more: 7.38 km
    Measured on OpenStreetMap map data.
    OpenStreetMap · Oct. 2026
  • Nearest substation of 345 kV or more: 8.62 km
    Measured on OpenStreetMap map data.
    OpenStreetMap · Oct. 2026
  • On-site generation: not stated
    “5 other Wisconsin rows present)”
    grade B
  • Nearest gas pipeline: none mapped within 16 km
    Measured on OpenStreetMap map data.
    OpenStreetMap · Oct. 2026
  • IT capacity: not stated
    “build eight to 11 buildings to use between 600 and 800 megawatts of power, that can be used for a data center for another company”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Utility service: not stated
    “Meta's Beaver Dam campus is the only hyperscaler under construction within Alliant's Wisconsin service area”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • PSC certificate / electric service agreement:, no CPCN, electric service agreement or large-load docket naming this campus was ever filed
    “these projections only account for the three developments currently known”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Utility: Alliant Energy (Wisconsin Power & Light territory); transmission via ATC
    “Madison-based Alliant Energy submitted an application Sept. 4 to create a standard utility-wide electric rate for large load customers”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • Milwaukee Journal Sentinel post-mortem: the plan was 8-11 buildings using 600-800 MW, built for another company; no end user ever emerged despite the 800 MW headline
    “No end user, such as Microsoft, Google or Meta, has emerged for this property”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Interconnection status: none - project withdrawn before any utility filing: the City of Janesville let its non-binding LOI with Viridian Acquisitions expire on Jun 22, 2026, halting the proposed campus; no Alliant Energy
    “Janesville allowed its letter of intent with Viridian Acquisitions to expire, pausing plans for an 800 MW data center concept at the former GM site.”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Viridian Acquisitions' Janesville Data Center proposal (800 MW developer-announced, 11 buildings, ~$8 billion, former GM/JATCO site) halted - Janesville City Council voted unanimously in June 2026 to let the non-binding
    “In June, the Janesville city council voted unanimously to let its non-binding letter of intent expire with Colorado-based developer Viridian Acquisitions, effectively halting an estimated $8 billion, 800-megawatt, 11-building campus.”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • PSC of Wisconsin Strategic Energy Assessment attributes ~4.17 GW of projected demand growth to only three known hyperscale developments (Microsoft Mount Pleasant, Vantage Port Washington, Meta Beaver Dam), Janesville's
    “these projections only account for the three developments currently known”
    News report · 2026 · grade C
  • Water use stated: 6400 gallons/day per building (closed-loop, air-cooled design)
    “Veridian, by contrast, proposes a closed-loop, air-cooled system averaging just 6,400 gallons per day per building”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Power plan: grid, Alliant Energy (WP&L) distribution with American Transmission Co (ATC) transmission upgrades; planned only, never contracted
    “studies suggested 200 megawatts or more could be possible through utility upgrades involving the American Transmission Company (ATC)”
    News report · July 2025 · grade C
  • Kuborn memo recommends an RFP for data center development; the memo puts existing electrical capacity at the site at ~25 MW, with 200+ MW possible only via ATC transmission upgrades
    “That memorandum revealed the site had roughly 25 megawatts of existing electrical capacity, while studies suggested 200 megawatts or more could be possible through utility upgrades”
    News report · July 2025 · grade C
Money and contracts (40)
  • Referendum status: Direct-legislation ordinance (File 2026-926) referred to the Nov 3, 2026 general election: if adopted, voter approval would be required for GM/JATCO development agreements, development projects, sales
    “citizens of Janesville will have an opportunity to vote on a referendum concerning future development agreements, development projects, sales, and leases of the GM/JATCO sites for projects exceeding $450 million in project costs”
    Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
  • Incentives: None committed to the developer: no development agreement, no TID created for the campus, no WEDC award. The city's own $5M FY2026 federal appropriation and its 2018 $500k WEDC Idle Sites grant fund the city'
    “was awarded a $5 million federal appropriation for Fiscal Year 2026”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Purchase and Sale Agreement: existence (finding) Never executed. The city's preliminary official statement dated Jul 1, 2026 still described the PSA as under negotiation, language evidently not conformed to the Jun 22,
    “The City currently holds a non-binding Letter of Intent with Viridian and is negotiating a Purchase and Sale Agreement”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Purchase in lieu of condemnation (Relocation Order): scope Acquisition of the blighted former GM site including the JATCO site, seven parcels totaling 250 acres
    “The City completed a Relocation Order for Purchase in Lieu of Condemnation for the blighted former General Motors site”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Federal appropriation FY2026: award 5000000 USD
    “was awarded a $5 million federal appropriation for Fiscal Year 2026”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Federal appropriation FY2026: status / conditions Awarded to offset remediation and redevelopment costs; as of Jul 1, 2026 the city was awaiting assignment of a federal agency partner. Funds the city's site work, not a
    “The City is awaiting assignment of a federal agency partner to guide the next steps”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Tax increment financing: existence (finding) No tax incremental district was created and no TIF assistance was committed for this campus; the city's official statement says only that a feasible project could generate sub
    “the project could generate substantial tax increment revenue and fund a significant portion of the demolition, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment of the entire 250-acre property”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • The city's preliminary official statement (bond offering) still describes a live LOI and an ongoing PSA negotiation, nine days after the lapse vote, disclosure not conformed to the council action
    “The City currently holds a non-binding Letter of Intent with Viridian and is negotiating a Purchase and Sale Agreement”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Remediation cost estimate: 30000000 USD
    “Viridian Partners will complete remediation of the site to Wisconsin DNR Standards (Estimated remediation of $30 million)”
    Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade A
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): scope Negotiation toward purchase of the 250-acre former GM/JATCO site for a multi-building data center campus, up to 800 MW depending on availability of power
    “Viridian Partners is proposing a data center development that would consist of multiple buildings depending on the availability of power, up to 800 MW”
    Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade A
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): remediation obligation Buyer to complete remediation of the site to Wisconsin DNR standards, estimated at $30 million USD
    “Viridian Partners will complete remediation of the site to Wisconsin DNR Standards (Estimated remediation of $30 million)”
    Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade A
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): off-site improvements Buyer responsible for off-site improvements required by the City, County or DOT
    “Viridian Partners will be responsible for off site improvements required by the City, County or DOT”
    Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade A
  • Development Agreement: existence (finding) Never drafted or executed. The city's Feb 2026 process chart placed a binding development agreement two steps after the LOI (after a purchase and sale agreement that was never s
    “A legally binding contract that outlines the terms and conditions between Viridian and the City detailing how the property will change hands”
    Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade A
  • WEDC Idle Sites Redevelopment Grant (2018): award 500000 USD
    “it has awarded the city $500,000 to help fund the demolition of the old factory”
    State agency · June 2018 · grade B
  • WEDC Idle Sites Redevelopment Grant (2018): scope Offset demolition costs for six buildings on the 114-acre assembly plant area, including the 3.9-million-square-foot main plant; the JATCO haul-away yard was excluded. Pr
    “The Idle Sites Redevelopment Grant will be used to help offset the costs of razing six buildings on the 114-acre assembly plant area”
    State agency · June 2018 · grade B
  • WEDC awards the city a $500,000 Idle Sites Redevelopment Grant toward demolition of the assembly plant
    “it has awarded the city $500,000 to help fund the demolition of the old factory”
    State agency · June 2018 · grade B
  • Referendum pending: A ballot initiative on Nov. 3, 2026 would require majority voter approval for GM/JATCO development projects exceeding $450M in project costs
    “Should approval of proposed development agreements, development projects, sales, and leases of the GM/JATCO sites for projects exceeding $450 million in project costs be decided by a majority vote of the electors?”
    News report · grade C
  • Viridian's documented business model is remediation-then-resale of brownfields for industrial/warehouse users (50+ properties, ~$1B capitalization, ~6.5M sq ft of NJ industrial space enabled); it has no data center devel
    “Viridian has remediated enough land to make way for 6.5 million square feet of industrial space”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Site acres: 250 acres
    “The basic details of Viridian Partner’s plan were to buy the 250 acres for $10 million, pay for the cleanup costs”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Tenants: none, no end user or tenant was ever identified
    “No end user, such as Microsoft, Google or Meta, has emerged for this property”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Tenant status: none, the concept was a speculative campus to be built for an unnamed future operator
    “that can be used for a data center for another company”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Purchase in lieu of condemnation (Relocation Order): consideration 3500000 (approximate; partly returned to the city as offsets for the prior owner's unpaid fees, fines and back taxes) USD
    “some of that money went back to the city as the previous owners racked up unpaid fees, fines and back taxes”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Project status dead: Viridian Partners' proposed campus died in June 2026, when the Janesville City Council let its non-binding letter of intent with the developer expire
    “in June, the Janesville city council voted unanimously to let its non-binding letter of intent expire with Colorado-based developer Viridian Acquisitions, effectively halting an estimated $8 billion, 800-megawatt, 11-building campus.”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Project status: cancelled - the Viridian proposal is withdrawn after the council let the LOI expire on Jun 22, 2026; the site remains a vacant city-owned brownfield (vacant since GM closed in 2008; ~$30M remediation woul
    “Viridian Acquisitions dropped from Janesville GM site talks as city sets new guardrails for data center proposals”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): expiration / non-renewal On Jun 22, 2026 the council voted unanimously to decline a further 60-day extension and allow the LOI to expire. No termination penalty, break fee or clawback appl
    “On June 22, the Janesville City Council unanimously voted to allow the Letter of Intent (LOI) with Viridian Acquisitions LLC to expire”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Council votes unanimously to let the Viridian LOI expire and directs staff to draft a Data Center Companion Ordinance; the campus is dead, no PSA, development agreement, permit, financing or tenant ever existed
    “On June 22, the Janesville City Council unanimously voted to allow the Letter of Intent (LOI) with Viridian Acquisitions LLC to expire”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Name: Janesville Data Center
    “Plans call for an 800-megawatt, 11-building campus called the Janesville Data Center with an investment of around $8 billion”
    News report · Dec. 2025 · grade C
  • Stated capital cost: 8000000000 USD
    “Plans call for an 800-megawatt, 11-building campus called the Janesville Data Center with an investment of around $8 billion”
    News report · Dec. 2025 · grade C
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): exclusivity LOI committed the city to a path of exclusivity and structured negotiation with Viridian, limiting alternative proposals during its term (per published analysis of the LOI text
    “While it is indeed nonbinding, it nonetheless commits the city to a path of exclusivity and structured negotiation”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): negotiation window 60-day window to finalize a Purchase and Sale Agreement (per published analysis of the LOI); the city manager's Feb 9, 2026 deck instead describes a 120-day period to ne
    “The approved Letter of Intent sets a 60-day window to finalize a Purchase and Sale Agreement, followed by a 120-day due diligence period”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): due diligence 120-day due diligence period following PSA execution (per published analysis of the LOI)
    “The approved Letter of Intent sets a 60-day window to finalize a Purchase and Sale Agreement, followed by a 120-day due diligence period”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): missing clauses (finding) The LOI contains no binding jobs, wage or community-reinvestment benchmarks, aspirational statements about scale of investment only (per published analysis of th
    “Nowhere in the LOI are there clear benchmarks for jobs, wages, or community reinvestment — only aspirational statements about the potential scale of investment”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Purchase in lieu of condemnation (Relocation Order): contested compensation (finding) As of Nov 2025 reporting, CDC had not cashed the city's $3.5 million payment and just compensation was before a condemnation compensat
    “The City issued a $3.5 million payment to Commercial Development Company (CDC), the last recorded owner, but CDC has not cashed the check”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Financing: none disclosed, no committed capital, lender or equity sponsor documented in any public filing; the LOI reportedly referenced a joint venture with Real Capital Solutions
    “The LOI references a joint venture with Real Capital Solutions (RCS)”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): capital structure (finding) LOI references capital partners and a joint venture with Real Capital Solutions, but no committed institutional capital line or lender commitment is documented
    “public documents do not clearly show committed institutional capital lines or lender commitments”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Purchase price offered: 10000000 USD
    “Viridian's offered to purchase of the GM/JATCO site for $10 million and fully remediate it”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): approval Approved by the City Council 5-2
    “the Janesville City Council voted 5-2 to approve a non-binding Letter of Intent with Viridian”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Letter of Intent (non-binding): purchase price 10000000 USD
    “Viridian's offered to purchase of the GM/JATCO site for $10 million and fully remediate it”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Land price city paid: 3500000 USD
    “the city was preparing to condemn the property but in lieu of condemnation, spent roughly $3.5 million for the property”
    News report · July 2025 · grade C
  • City publicly announces official ownership of the GM site (purchase in lieu of condemnation, ~$3.5M)
    “months prior to the city announcing publicly on July 8, 2025 that it had official ownership of the GM site”
    News report · July 2025 · grade C
Permits and government (34)
  • Scheduled: general-election referendum on the direct-legislation ordinance, voter approval for GM/JATCO development agreements, projects, sales and leases over $450 million in project costs
    “citizens of Janesville will have an opportunity to vote on a referendum concerning future development agreements, development projects, sales, and leases of the GM/JATCO sites”
    Local government · grade A
  • Moratorium status: Citywide data center moratorium (File Ordinance No. 2026-937, creating Code section 2-57): introduced and given first reading Sep 14, 2026; public hearing held Oct 13, 2026; 12-month term from publicat
    “The moratorium would last 12 months from publication unless amended or rescinded, with the possibility of extension if the Council determines additional time is required”
    Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
  • Zoning entitlement: No rezoning, conditional use or site plan was ever applied for; the city's zoning code contained no data center use classification at all
    “the City of Janesville's existing Zoning Code does not contain use classifications, siting criteria, operational standards, or infrastructure requirements for data center development”
    Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
  • Moratorium ordinance 2026-937 introduced and given first reading (12-month citywide pause; staff barred from soliciting data centers or signing NDAs about them)
    “The moratorium would last 12 months from publication unless amended or rescinded”
    Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
  • Janesville City Council: File Ordinance No. 2026-937, ordinance establishing a moratorium on data centers (creates Code section 2-57): introduction and first reading
    “City Administration recommends that, following the introduction and first reading of File Ordinance No. 2026-937, the City Council schedule a second reading, public hearing, and possible action”
    Local government · Sept. 2026 · grade A
  • Land control: City of Janesville owns the site; acquired from Commercial Development Company via a completed Relocation Order for Purchase in Lieu of Condemnation (ownership announced Jul 8, 2025)
    “The City completed a Relocation Order for Purchase in Lieu of Condemnation for the blighted former General Motors site”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Purchase in lieu of condemnation: Completed, city took ownership of seven parcels totaling 250 acres
    “The City completed a Relocation Order for Purchase in Lieu of Condemnation for the blighted former General Motors site”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Federal funding: City awarded a $5 million federal appropriation for FY2026 toward remediation and redevelopment costs
    “was awarded a $5 million federal appropriation for Fiscal Year 2026”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Janesville City Council: Direction to staff to develop expanded data center provisions, a citywide Data Center Companion Ordinance (Kuborn memorandum)
    “City Administration requests that the City Council direct City Staff to create a City Ordinance for establishing additional guidelines for Data Center Development within the City of Janesville”
    Local government · June 2026 · grade A
  • Janesville City Council: Public hearing on direct-legislation Ordinance 2026-926 (refer GM/JATCO projects over $450M to the electorate); staff recommended referral to the electorate
    “A certified petition was submitted to the City per Chapter 9.20 of the Wisconsin State Statutes”
    Local government · Feb. 2026 · grade A
  • Environmental remediation case (WI DNR Remediation & Redevelopment / BRRTS): Site carries documented soil and groundwater contamination requiring management during any redevelopment; no case closure has issued; contamina
    “areas of soil and groundwater are contaminated and must be managed as part of redevelopment”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Permit status: No WI DNR air permit application, stormwater coverage or other environmental permit for a data center at the GM/JATCO site; with the letter of intent lapsed there is no developer of record to hold one
    “T5 REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS, LLC SITE; 3400 INNOVATION DRIVE; JANESVILLE”
    State agency · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • FAA airspace cases within 5 nautical miles: 21 cases
    “FAA OE/AAA circle search at 42.671184,-89.071549 returned 21 cases”
    FAA · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Air permit: None filed, no DNR air permit exists for this campus
    “5 other Wisconsin rows present)”
    grade B
  • Entitlement status: city RFP for the GM/JATCO site Jul 2025; city council approved a non-binding LOI with Viridian on Nov 10, 2025 (5-2); on Jun 22, 2026 the council voted unanimously (7-0) to let the LOI expire
    “city RFP for data-center development at the GM/JATCO site Jul 2025; council approved a non-binding LOI with Viridian Nov 10, 2025”
    grade B
  • State grant: Awarded $500,000 to the City of Janesville toward demolition of the assembly plant area
    “it has awarded the city $500,000 to help fund the demolition of the old factory”
    State agency · June 2018 · grade B
  • Public hearing held on the moratorium ordinance; final adoption not confirmed in sources opened as of Oct 18, 2026
    “Public Hearing: Ordinance to Establish a Temporary Moratorium on Data Centers 10-13-2026”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Janesville City Council: Public hearing: ordinance to establish a temporary moratorium on data centers
    “Public Hearing: Ordinance to Establish a Temporary Moratorium on Data Centers 10-13-2026”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Federal funding: Earlier city applications were unsuccessful: the EPA Community Change Grant program was terminated, and the city received no-award notices for an EPA Assessment Grant and a FY2025 federal appropriation
    “The city tried to fund the cleanup by applying to the Environmental Protection Agency Community Change Grant program, an EPA Assessment Grant, and federal appropriations”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Developer entity: Viridian Acquisitions LLC
    “On June 22, the Janesville City Council unanimously voted to allow the Letter of Intent (LOI) with Viridian Acquisitions LLC to expire”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Stage: cancelled
    “On June 22, the Janesville City Council unanimously voted to allow the Letter of Intent (LOI) with Viridian Acquisitions LLC to expire”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Janesville City Council: Resolution to renew/extend the Viridian LOI for a further 60 days, not adopted; the LOI was allowed to expire
    “On June 22, the Janesville City Council unanimously voted to allow the Letter of Intent (LOI) with Viridian Acquisitions LLC to expire”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Forward Janesville (chamber) publicly calls on the council not to renew the Viridian LOI
    “Forward Janesville calls on the city council not to renew the city's letter of intent with data center developer Viridian Partners”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
  • Council votes 7-0 to refer the petition ordinance (File 2026-926) to the Nov 3, 2026 general election rather than enact it immediately
    “The City Council approved putting the referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot by a vote of 7-0”
    News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
  • Janesville City Council: Vote to place the direct-legislation referendum on the Nov 3, 2026 general election ballot
    “The City Council approved putting the referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot by a vote of 7-0”
    News report · Feb. 2026 · grade C
  • City Manager Lahner, City Attorney Klimczyk, ED Director Kuborn and Clerk Stottler memo to council: the petition ordinance is likely unconstitutional and almost certainly unenforceable, and a referendum requirement could
    “they would have strongly recommended against its adoption, as they also considered it likely unconstitutional and almost certainly unenforceable”
    News report · Jan. 2026 · grade C
  • Demolition: Plant demolition completed (six buildings on the assembly plant area razed, incl. the 3.9M sq ft main plant)
    “The plant closed in 2008 and demolition was completed in 2019”
    News report · Dec. 2025 · grade C
  • Council approves the non-binding LOI with Viridian Acquisitions LLC, 5-2
    “the Janesville City Council voted 5-2 to approve a non-binding Letter of Intent with Viridian”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Janesville City Council: Approve non-binding Letter of Intent with Viridian Acquisitions LLC for the GM/JATCO site
    “the Janesville City Council voted 5-2 to approve a non-binding Letter of Intent with Viridian”
    News report · Nov. 2025 · grade C
  • Announced: July 2025
    “Rather than receiving a direct planning application from a developer to repurpose the 240-acre brownfield site, the council approved plans to send out a request for proposal for prospective firms to turn the property into a data center campus”
    News report · July 2025 · grade C
  • Janesville City Council: Economic Development Director Jimsi Kuborn's memorandum recommending a request for proposals for data center development at the GM/JATCO site; council authorized the RFP process in mid-July 2025
    “On July 14, 2025, Janesville Economic Development Director Jimsi Kuborn recommended the city issue a request for proposals for data center development at the GM/JATCO site”
    News report · July 2025 · grade C
  • Eminent domain relocation order: Council approved a condemnation relocation order to acquire the GM/JATCO site from Commercial Development Company
    “The council OK'd a condemnation relocation order Monday night — a move that starts a process to force owner Commercial Development Company after years of inactivity to sell the city the 250-ACRE, blighted property”
    News report · Feb. 2024 · grade C
  • Council approves a condemnation relocation order to acquire the blighted site from CDC
    “The council OK'd a condemnation relocation order Monday night”
    News report · Feb. 2024 · grade C
  • Janesville City Council: Condemnation relocation order for the GM/JATCO site (start of city acquisition from Commercial Development Company)
    “The council OK'd a condemnation relocation order Monday night”
    News report · Feb. 2024 · grade C
Site and other (23)
  • Developer: Viridian Partners
    “the City selected Viridian Partners to explore redevelopment options”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • City: Janesville
    “CITY OF JANESVILLE Rock County, Wisconsin”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • County: Rock County
    “CITY OF JANESVILLE Rock County, Wisconsin”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Acres: 250 acres
    “covering seven parcels totaling 250 acres”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Parcels: 7
    “covering seven parcels totaling 250 acres”
    Local government · July 2026 · grade A
  • Remediation status: No remediation was performed under the Viridian proposal; contamination (soil PAHs, lead, arsenic, isolated solvents; residual groundwater contamination) remains, under WI DNR oversight, with continui
    “Key Contaminants: Soil impacts include petroleum hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals such as lead and arsenic, and isolated solvent areas”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • County code: 55105
    “GM plant anchor (42.658434,-89.020737): Rock County WI (55105) per FCC point-in-county lookup; the whole GM/JATCO site is in Rock County”
    Dataset · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Site identity: City-owned former Janesville Assembly Plant (GM/JATCO), 1000 General Motors Drive and 544 Kellogg Avenue, Janesville; ~240-250 acres; GM operated the plant 1919-2008
    “The GM/JATCO site is city-owned property, formerly known as the Janesville Assembly Plant, located at 1000 General Motors Drive and 544 Kellogg Avenue.”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Original target date: not stated
    “allow the Letter of Intent (LOI) with Viridian Acquisitions LLC to expire”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Current target date: not stated
    “allow the Letter of Intent (LOI) with Viridian Acquisitions LLC to expire”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Construction stage: none, no construction ever began; site is a vacant, demolished, city-owned brownfield
    “The factory was ultimately torn down and the 250-acre site, which was also home to Janesville Auto Transport Co., still sits idle today”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • The Gazette publishes the city's pre-ownership developer emails, obtained by watchdog group SNOW Janesville via an open-records request filed seven months earlier and released after a threat of legal action; the city def
    “Many of the emails which show a back-and-forth between the city and developer Viridian Partners over an emerging data center proposal at the former GM site”
    News report · May 2026 · grade C
  • Address: 1000 General Motors Drive and 544 Kellogg Avenue
    “the Janesville Assembly Plant, located at 1000 General Motors Drive and 544 Kellogg Avenue”
    News report · March 2026 · grade C
  • City Clerk certifies 3,927 valid petition signatures (12 more than required)
    “By January 21, 2026, the City Clerk certified 3,927 valid signatures”
    News report · Jan. 2026 · grade C
  • Residents submit a direct-legislation petition (4,600+ signatures) to force voter approval of large GM/JATCO developments
    “On January 6, 2026, residents submitted a direct-legislation petition containing more than 4,600 signatures”
    News report · Jan. 2026 · grade C
  • Buildings proposed: 11
    “Plans call for an 800-megawatt, 11-building campus called the Janesville Data Center”
    News report · Dec. 2025 · grade C
  • Site history: Former General Motors Janesville assembly plant (operated 1919, idled Dec 2008, production ended 2009) plus the JATCO haul-away yard; GM sold the site to Commercial Development Company in 2017; plant demoli
    “The plant closed in 2008 and demolition was completed in 2019”
    News report · Dec. 2025 · grade C
  • First announced: 2025 (city RFP for data-center development at the GM/JATCO site recommended Jul 14, 2025; Viridian had sent the city an unsolicited proposal on May 1, 2025 and first made contact in 2024)
    “On July 14, 2025, Janesville Economic Development Director Jimsi Kuborn recommended the city issue a request for proposals for data center development at the GM/JATCO site”
    News report · July 2025 · grade C
  • Viridian emails the city a document it calls a proposal for the GM site, before any public RFP
    “Viridian Partners sent the city an email with multiple attachments containing what the company at that time called a proposal”
    News report · May 2025 · grade C
  • Viridian Partners first contacts the city about the GM site, a full year before the city owns it (per developer emails later released under open-records pressure)
    “the city began privately communicating with data center developers who were eyeing the former General Motors site a year before the city had full ownership of the property”
    News report · 2024 · grade C
  • Plant demolition completed under CDC; CDC's planned ~1M sq ft industrial park (Centennial Business Park) never proceeds and the site sits idle; CDC twice tries to auction the property
    “The plant closed in 2008 and demolition was completed in 2019”
    News report · 2019 · grade C
  • General Motors sells the site to Commercial Development Company (CDC)
    “Commercial Development's owned the site since 2017 after purchasing it from General Motors”
    News report · 2017 · grade C
  • GM idles the Janesville assembly plant (production ends April 2009); the adjacent JATCO haul-away yard closes shortly after
    “The plant closed in 2008 and demolition was completed in 2019”
    News report · Dec. 2008 · grade C