Microsoft’s plans to build a $1bn data centre campus in Wisconsin got a boost last night when representatives of the Village of Mount Pleasant in Racine County voted in favour of selling a 315-acre site to the tech behemoth for just over $50m.
The deal to buy the site from Foxconn, which assembled some 2,500 acres for development in previous years, is now subject to two votes by the Racine County Board on 11 and 18 April, local media reported.
The plot lies in Mount Pleasant’s Tax Increment District No. 5.
“For the Village of Mount Pleasant and our entire Racine County community, the potential benefits of Microsoft’s planned investment cannot be overstated,” said Village of Mount Pleasant President David DeGroot.
“This project is an ideal fit for TID 5, and could attract additional high-quality growth for our area.”
The agreement says Microsoft must start building phase one of the campus by 1 July 2026, and phase two by 1 July 2033.
In a statement, the Village of Mount Pleasant said the agreement “does not lessen any of Foxconn’s obligations under its development agreement”.
The statement said Foxconn will receive the proceeds from the Microsoft land sale (net of costs) as partial reimbursement of the funds Foxconn advanced in 2017 to acquire lands in TID 5.
