Amazon proposes West Richland data center campus with potential for 21 buildings, 1,000 jobs
Amazon is proposing a data center campus in West Richland that could eventually include 21 buildings and more than 1,000 permanent jobs. The city is considering interim data center regulations, while residents and Tri-Cities Data Center Watch are urging officials to adopt stronger restrictions and raise concerns about water, electricity and environmental impacts.
Amazon is in the early planning stages of a potential data center campus in West Richland, Washington. The initial phase would include three buildings and 120 to 150 full-time jobs, while a full build-out could reach 21 buildings, more than 1,000 permanent positions and tens of millions of dollars in annual local tax contributions. Amazon has completed initial due diligence but has not yet filed permit applications.
The West Richland City Council is scheduled to consider temporary development regulations while city staff, the Planning Commission and the council study permanent rules. The proposal would prohibit data centers in the Light Industrial zoning district, allow them in the Mixed-Use/Light Industrial district subject to standards, ban cryptocurrency mining and remove an existing noise exemption. Tri-Cities Data Center Watch opposes the proposal, calling it a “fake moratorium” and urging residents to demand stronger protections. Amazon says it is developing a treated surface-water supply and estimates annual cooling use of about 10 million gallons initially and less than 70 million gallons at full build-out; the project would also undergo review under Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act.