Seattle City Council proposes ban on data centers within city limits

Seattle City Council President Joy Hollingsworth, alongside Councilmembers Debora Juarez and Eddie Lin, announced plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit data centers within Seattle's city limits. This move comes after reports that unnamed companies intended to develop five data centers on land owned by Seattle City Light, the city's public utility. The Seattle Times initially broke the news about these development plans, and since then, two of the five proposed projects have been withdrawn. While the proposed ban would only apply within city boundaries, councilmembers are also exploring a separate bill, potentially a moratorium, to address data center developments on Seattle City Light-owned properties located outside the city. Although the City Council maintains the authority to reject leases for such projects even without a specific ban, they acknowledge the financial pressures associated with declining revenue-generating opportunities.