Chewelah council addresses food trucks, data centers and youth work program
The Chewelah City Council unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on applications for new data centers due to concerns about their potential impacts like high electricity and water usage, noise, and heat. The ordinance, effective immediately, allows the city time to draft new regulations for such facilities. A public hearing is mandated within 60 days of the ordinance's passage.
The Chewelah City Council, led by Mayor Lindsay Baxter, unanimously approved Ordinance No. 1027, establishing a six-month moratorium on applications for new data centers or other high-energy facilities. The decision, made at a July 1 meeting, was prompted by growing community concerns following the announcement of a data center under consideration near Spokane.
The ordinance, effective immediately, cites potential negative impacts of data centers on communities, including large electricity and significant water usage, noise, and heat, which it states can "negatively impact the health and wellbeing of surrounding communities." The moratorium will last until December 31, 2026, allowing the city "adequate time to draft new regulations that will adequately address the unique characteristics and impacts of Data Center Facilities." As required by RCW 36.70A.390, a public hearing on the ordinance must take place within 60 days of its passage. Resident Susanne Griepp submitted a public comment advocating for a one-year moratorium, but Mayor Baxter clarified that current statutes do not permit extending it past six months without a detailed plan.