Here's where Seattle could see a new downtown data center

Digital Realty, a Texas real estate firm, has filed permit applications for a six-story building in downtown Seattle at Third Avenue and Virginia Street, which would include a "co-location data center." The project, named Block 50, is planned for a 2027 start, contingent on market conditions, and would span approximately 380,000 square feet. Digital Realty, which already operates another data center in Seattle's Westin Building, has indicated this facility would be "network-dense" rather than an "AI data center" and is still assessing its energy consumption.

This proposal emerges amidst significant public concern and a national backlash against data center expansion, particularly regarding energy use by AI data centers. Seattle's mayor's office reported over 54,000 messages expressing "intense public alarm" about potential data centers.

In response, the Seattle City Council's Land Use and Sustainability Committee recently voted to advance a one-year moratorium on large-scale data centers, allowing time for the city to develop permanent regulations. It remains uncertain whether this proposed ban would affect Digital Realty's specific project. Earlier this year, two out of four companies that had approached Seattle City Light about building large data centers withdrew their plans as moratorium discussions began.

Property owner Clise Properties noted that Digital Realty is conducting due diligence for what could be a "very long process."