Spokane County Commissioners will vote Tuesday afternoon on data center pause
Spokane County Commissioners are scheduled to vote on a four-month pause for new data center approvals to allow for the development of land use regulations. This follows public controversy over a proposed large data center's power demands and a similar one-year moratorium already enacted by the Spokane City Council. The proposed ordinance includes public comment and aims to regulate power, water, and noise from data centers.
Spokane County Commissioners are scheduled to vote Tuesday afternoon on a resolution to implement a four-month moratorium on new data center approvals. This pause aims to provide time for county staff to develop and enact land use regulations specifically for data center developments. The move comes after significant public inquiry and controversy surrounding a proposed large-load data center in Spokane County, which raised concerns about its substantial electricity consumption from utility provider Avista.
The Spokane City Council has already passed a one-year moratorium for the same purpose, seeking to define parameters for data center operations within city limits. The proposed county ordinance would temporarily prevent building and planning departments from processing new land use applications for data centers. It also initiates a public comment period to gather feedback on the drafted regulations.
County staff have presented a draft zoning ordinance that would restrict large-load data centers to industrial areas and establish guidelines for developers regarding power demands, water usage, and noise mitigation. The commissioners will be briefed on the resolution and the attached ordinance on Tuesday morning before their legislative meeting vote. The meeting will be available for public viewing on the county's YouTube channel.