Amazon’s permit application for Walla Walla County data center is incomplete
Amazon's permit application for a data center near Attalia, Washington, was deemed incomplete by Walla Walla County due to a missing traffic impact analysis. The company has 60 days to submit the required materials, otherwise the application will be void. The proposed campus includes three data center buildings on a 134-acre parcel.
Amazon Data Services' application for a site development permit and environmental review for its Attalia data center project in Walla Walla County, Washington, has been deemed incomplete by the Walla Walla County Community Development Department. Director Melissa Shumake stated that a crucial traffic impact analysis was missing from the submission, leading to a notice of incomplete application issued on June 23.
Amazon now has 60 days, until August 24, to submit the required traffic analysis. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the application being null and void, with no refund of fees. The proposed first phase of the project includes three 220,000-square-foot data center buildings, an access control building, a water building, and other facilities on a 134-acre parcel within the Port of Walla Walla’s Wallula Gap Business Park.
Community members have raised concerns regarding the project's transparency, as well as potential environmental impacts related to water, power usage, light, noise pollution, and wildlife. While the specifics of the project, such as full power draw and water usage, are yet to be disclosed in the public application materials, Commissioner Gunner Fulmer and Director Shumake mentioned that Amazon is considering hosting a community meeting to address public concerns. Shumake noted Amazon's approach differs from other industrial developers at the Port, who have been more engaged with the community.