The Real Story – A Column
One of the next big data centers in Hillsboro, Oregon, is likely to be the Digital Realty Trust, LP project on NE Wagon Way. The Dallas (TX) based company that already has large Data Centers in Hillsboro has applied for a massive two-story data center facility directly across from Hillsboro’s largest and newest High School,Liberty High School. And “directly across” means within 200 feet, according to site plans submitted to the City of Hillsboro last week. According to data center mapping and recent Brown University research tracking school proximity, this project represents a precedent-setting threat in Oregon—placing a massive industrial compute facility directly across the street from a high school campus.
The Hillsboro Herald tracks all data center applications, land transactions, and potential deals here in our community. We have known about this project for a while, but only this Monday were we able to finally access some early documents. The project, titled Wagon Data Center by Digital Realty (DR26-0030 Wagon Data Center), has just submitted basic sketches and a site plan. It is clear to anyone that this will alter the quality of the educational setting for our students. The City of Hillsboro has assigned
At this time, there does not appear to be much that the people of Hillsboro, or the City for that matter, can do to stop this. The land-use codes have very few teeth and little in the way of siting requirements. The project is in the preliminary stages, and as it moves through a Type 2 process, more information will be submitted, and eventually a Public Notice will be sent to property owners within 200 feet. The public at large can then submit evidence to the file for consideration, and if such evidence has merit under the code, it can be considered and used for a potential appeal. Anyone who wants additional information can contact Hillsboro Planning or Community Development at (503) 681-6153, but at this time, we are sharing everything available with you all…