Woodburn approves 120-Day moratorium on new data center development
The Woodburn City Council in Oregon has approved a 120-day moratorium on new data center development. This temporary pause will allow the city to review zoning regulations and study the potential impacts of future projects on public utilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Woodburn currently has no pending data center applications.
The Woodburn City Council in Oregon has enacted a 120-day moratorium on new data center development, making it the latest city in the state to temporarily halt such projects to allow for regulatory review. The council's decision, following a public hearing on Monday, means Woodburn will not accept, review, or approve permits and development proposals for new data storage facilities for the next four months.
City officials stated that the pause is intended to enable a comprehensive review of zoning and development regulations. They also plan to assess the city's public utility and infrastructure needs, reconsider criteria for data center siting, and examine potential impacts on water, energy, and noise, as well as broader environmental effects. The objective is to develop new regulations and processes for evaluating future data center proposals.
The city clarified that the moratorium specifically targets new data center development and will not affect other industrial projects. Currently, Woodburn has no active or pending data center applications. This move by Woodburn mirrors similar actions or discussions in other Oregon communities, such as Hillsboro and Clackamas County, as the state grapples with the growth of the data center industry.