The City of Eugene says data centers are not an allowed use at the location of the former Hyundai/Hynix site in West Eugene. That comes after inquiries from an unknown contractor seeking to redevelop the property.
In July, the city received an inquiry from local land use attorney Bill Kloos on behalf of an unknown client into whether the property, located at 1830 Willow Creek Circle, could be developed as a data center.
The site is in an employment zone, or E-1 for short. It was created by the city as a place to site businesses that employ a large number of people.
The applicant argued a data center could be considered an IT services business, one of the allowable uses.
In a letter to Kloos on Tuesday, Eugene’s Planning Director, Alissa Hunter, wrote data centers are prohibited there. She said energy consumption needs, noise, water use and cooling efforts would likely impact neighbors.
A data center would also likely not employ many people, which is the purpose of the E-1 zone.
Lindsay Selser, Communications and Engagement Manager for the city of Eugene, said the inquiry was a zone verification request, not specific development proposal. The planning director’s decision only applies to whether a data center is allowed in that specific zone.
Last month a coalition led by Eugene-based Beyond Toxics, sent a letter to the city urging planning leaders to reject allowing a data center in the E-1 zone. Other groups that signed the letter included the Cascades Raptor Center, Coast to Cascades Bird Alliance, Landwatch Lane County and the Oregon Sierra Club.
In a press release Wednesday, Beyond Toxics and other groups said they agreed with the city's decision, but said a moratorium is needed as well until guardrails are adopted.
"We believe this is the right decision by the Planning Department, and are grateful for their transparency through this process,” said Jennifer Davis, Executive Director of Beyond Toxics. “Our communities are growing increasingly concerned about the impacts data centers will have on our land, air and water for generations to come, and we must be prepared for similar developments in the future.”
Data centers have received strong pushback nationwide, and in Oregon, over concerns about their environmental impact and electricity use. This week, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said she now supports a moratorium on data centers. She previously intervened to stop a land sale for a data center in Salem.
Hillsboro City Council also approved the first data center moratorium in the state in July.
Both the City of Eugene and Eugene Water & Electric Board, have created web pages with additional information about city codes and data centers and their role in any decision on a project.
A City Council work session on the topic is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 14.
This story was updated on Sept. 9 to include additional reporting.
