Hillsboro weighs data center limits as construction moratorium nears deadline
Hillsboro is considering strict zoning limits that would prohibit stand-alone data centers in most industrial zones and reduce potential new development from thousands of acres to about 30 acres. The city’s 120-day moratorium on new data center applications expires in November, while residents are urging officials to impose even stronger restrictions and environmental studies are being prepared.
Hillsboro officials are weighing an ordinance that would sharply limit future data center construction. The proposal would prohibit data centers as a primary use in most industrial zones, reduce eligible land from more than 6,600 acres under existing rules to roughly 30 acres, regulate accessory data centers and establish a 1,000-foot buffer from schools.
The city’s initial 120-day moratorium on new data center applications is scheduled to expire in November unless officials demonstrate measurable progress toward extending it. Residents are pressing the Hillsboro City Council to go further and prohibit data centers altogether, while city leaders work to commission environmental studies that could take several months. The ordinance’s next reading is scheduled for Oct. 20.