The electronic display manufacturing plant that will be larger than 11 Lambeau fields will be located in Mount Pleasant in Racine County, Foxconn Technology Group announced Wednesday.
The $10 billion plant will be located off of Interstate 94 between Highway 11 and Highway KR.
Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave expressed his optimism of the Taiwanese technology plant coming to the southeastern county, stating the campus “will establish the foundation for unparalleled economic development, job growth and enhanced quality of life for current and future County residents.”
This sentiment was echoed by Village President Dave DeGroot who said he believes Foxconn will create thousands of new jobs for Racine County.
Mount Pleasant won the location in part for its “talented and hard-working workforce” said Louis Woo, special assistant to the chairman and CEO of Foxconn.
The decision to place the plant in southeast Wisconsin stems from the easy access to Interstate 94 to transport Foxconn products to consumers. Racine is also close to Lake Michigan, which will be Foxconn’s source of the high quantity of water it needs to operate.
Foxconn will clean the water it uses from Lake Michigan before returning it to the lake. The process, however, has potential to contaminate the water. As part of the incentive package to bring Foxconn to the state, the company will be legally allowed to skirt some environmental regulations.
This raised alarm from environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers. State Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, had previously said Foxconn’s ability to bypass the regulations “unacceptable.”
Preparations for the construction of the 20 million square foot plant are currently being arranged. It’s estimated the plant will use 1,800 acres of land, according to the Milwaukee BizTimes.
Officials from the Racine County Economic Development Corporation, however, have not expressed concern over environmental impacts.
Jenny Trick, executive director of RCEDC,
Mount Pleasant officials will be holding various public forums during October to discuss the plan and construction is set to begin in the second quarter of 2018.
