$220M data-center plan emerges in Duwamish area

A $220 million, four-story data center project is being proposed for Seattle's Duwamish area. Civil engineering firm PacLand has filed plans for the three-building, 266,000 to 320,000 square foot facility on behalf of an unnamed client at 3625 First Ave. S. The site was previously a cold-storage property acquired by Carlyle Group five years ago. This development comes amidst broader discussions in Seattle about the influx of data centers. Seattle City Light has reportedly been weighing proposals for five large data centers from developers including Prologis, Equinix, and Sabey, located in the city's industrial south end. Mayor Katie Wilson has expressed "intense public alarm" regarding massive new data centers and is working with Seattle City Light and the City Council to identify policy approaches, including exploring a moratorium on new data center construction within the city. The early filing of the Duwamish project plan could be a strategic move to potentially avoid a future moratorium or to establish a legal basis for an appeal should such a ban be enacted. Discussions about the moratorium have not yet progressed to public hearings or city council meetings.