Property owner insists he is not building a data center at Midtown Center in Milwaukee

The property owner for the new development at Midtown Center on Milwaukee’s north side is responding to the public’s concern over the possibility that he plans to build a data center at the site. 

When asked directly if he is building a data center at the old Walmart, Trent Overhue of Affordable Family Storage (AFS) said, “No.”

“This is solely utilized for research,” he added. “It’s nothing close to what a traditional data center would operate, the equipment that goes into it. It’s completely different.”

Overhue provided an interview to a limited number of local media, including the Milwaukee Courier, as he stood inside the facility on June 10 ahead of a public informational session hosted by Ald. Mark Chambers. 

The construction of data centers is a pressing issue nationwide as people are concerned by the centers’ effects on the environment through water and energy use, among other concerns. Last month, when the development appeared on an agenda before the City Plan Commission, many Milwaukeeans’ spoke out. 

“You’re not gonna poison the north side,” one social media user wrote. 

Opponents point to examples like in Mount Pleasant, where Microsoft is building a massive, multibillion-dollar AI data center that will house hundreds of thousands of graphics processing units (GPUs), which are major drivers of carbon emissions. 

“Yeah, we have servers,” Overhue said of the Midtown development. “That’s what comes through and does our research, but our target focus is completely different than what you see out of data centers. They don’t do research. They do storage, they do cloud, they enable stuff for your cell phones to work.

“We’re doing tenants that would use this facility. This one would be a medical facility. They use them in banking, defense, (and) logistics. So all you’re doing is solving complicated equations.”   

Overhue, a resident of Missouri, does own similar facilities elsewhere in the country and his business ventures have been the topic of conversation online and in local media. The Midtown site, he purchased in 2022, is his only Wisconsin property, he said. 

But Overhue, who partnered with Wisconsin’s Gorman & Company, is referring to the site as a “computer research facility,” while noting there are actual data centers within Milwaukee city limits already. 

“We’ll do research models for different companies,” he said. “All we’re doing is using infrastructure. It’s a very clean, non-invasive use.”

Overhue said about 10 megawatts of energy will be used — 3 MW from Walmart’s infrastructure plus an additional 7 MW. He said there is a closed loop water system, meaning virtually no water use, which is what Walmart was operating under. 

He added that “it is not noisy” as affordable housing, a storage facility and Milwaukee Public Library branch are planned for the 160,000 square feet site as well.  

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Gorman and Ald. Chambers on some interesting concepts in the parking lot, which I think will kind of pave the way to kind of reinvigorate Midtown,” Overhue said.

“We’re really excited about all that. The foot traffic in that kind of commercial world, if you have households and foot traffic that starts to attract better tenant qualities. So, with that, we’ll help kind of bring in new life and new tenants into Midtown

“Some of this stuff that we’re working with the city on has the potential to really put Midtown … I wouldn’t say it’s off the map … but back in the right direction.”   

In addition to Wednesday night, Chambers is hosting informational sessions on Thursday, June 18, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday, June 27, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the old Walmart. Enter on the west side of the building.