Portland City Council adopts new zoning rules for data centers, lifts moratoriums
The Portland City Council has approved new ordinances that require special exceptions for data centers and other commercial projects within the city and its 2-mile buffer zone. Following this, the council lifted existing moratoriums on commercial battery storage and data centers, which were in place to allow time for new rules to be developed. Data centers are no longer a permitted use but can be approved via special exception from the board of zoning appeals.
The Portland City Council recently approved new ordinances establishing special exception requirements for data centers, commercial battery storage facilities, wind farms, and commercial solar facilities within the city and its 2-mile buffer zone. These decisions followed favorable recommendations from the Portland Plan Commission.
After passing these new rules, the council lifted moratoriums that had been placed on commercial battery storage and data centers. These moratoriums were initially enacted to provide the city with time to develop comprehensive regulations for such projects.
Jay County resident Mike Keller urged the council to remain open to data center developments, highlighting their future technological importance and expressing concerns about misinformation regarding their effects. Pati McLaughlin of Jay/Portland Building and Planning clarified that while data centers are no longer a permitted use, they can still be approved through a special exception from the city's board of zoning appeals. Council members, including Ron May, Dave Golden, and President Kent McClung, noted that the ordinance is not a complete prohibition but rather a regulated path for approval.
Separately, the council also approved new rules for carbon sequestration projects and addressed other city matters, including police department standard operating procedures and trash pickup. Council members Mike Aker, Michele Brewster, Kent McClung, Dave Golden, and Ashley Hilfiker approved the ordinances, with Ron May voting against the data center rules.