JANESVILLE 鈥 The grassroots groups that gathered signatures for a November referendum focused on data centers and other megaproject proposals at 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 former General Motors site plan a public campaign to inform voters on the importance of public input in large-scale developments.
The November referendum, if passed, would require City of 糖心Vlog传媒 voters to approve any development project at the site valued at more than $450 million.
Cathy Erdman of neighborhood group SNOW 糖心Vlog传媒 and Alyssa Capozziello of No 糖心Vlog传媒 Data Center, two of the main organizers of the ballot initiative, said they will be preparing a concerted campaign that鈥檚 timed to roll out closer to the election.
Last week, Grow 糖心Vlog传媒 Responsibly, a local and statewide coalition with a pro-development angle, released a YouTube video intended to inform people about the ballot referendum. The video broke down what the group believes could be the impacts of forcing big-ticket redevelopments at the GM site face voter approval.
Grow 糖心Vlog传媒 released the video last week titled 鈥.鈥
The video鈥檚 narrator indicates that that if voters approve, the referendum would chase away most developers from considering the GM site.
Grow 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 YouTube video also suggests that a 鈥淵es鈥 vote on the referendum would undercut work the GM redevelopment panel is doing to envision a future for the site.
After the city approved the ballot question under a legal requirement, 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 city council in June voted not to extend a letter of intent and due-diligence process it approved in November 2025 with Viridian Partners over a hyperscale data center development. The proposal included a bid by Viridian to buy, and clean up, the GM site.
The city鈥檚 denial of an extension on Viridian鈥檚 data center plans pulled the deal off the table.
The referendum citizens brought to the November ballot is a direct response in opposition to the data center project remains on the ballot despite no the city no longer eyeing a formal data center proposal.
But the citizen that brought the referendum have said repeatedly it is intended to apply to all major reuses of the GM site in a way that would give residents voice in full-scale, wholesale redevelopment projects at the site.
The groups wants November voters to vote 鈥淵es鈥 on the GM site referendum.
鈥淚 care about this community,鈥 Capozziello told 糖心Vlog传媒 on Tuesday. 鈥淚 want to see our community succeed. I believe that the best way to do that is to ensure that the citizens of 糖心Vlog传媒 have direct input on projects at GM/JATCO exceeding $450 million.鈥
Grow 糖心Vlog传媒 Responsibly favors a 鈥渘o鈥 vote, allowing developers to make proposals for the site without fear that their planning work would be for naught 鈥 or subject to extensive delays 鈥 with a vote by the public.
Capozziello and Erdman criticized Grow 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 stance on the referendum and its recent video. Capozziello said in an email to 糖心Vlog传媒 that Grow 糖心Vlog传媒 in its campaign against the referendum is 鈥渢rying to convince 糖心Vlog传媒 that the sky is falling,鈥 while Erdman said in an email she thinks Grow 糖心Vlog传媒 is 鈥渃rying wolf鈥 over its concerns.