In Hillsboro, a fast-growing tech hub in Oregon, a debate over the public’s input into rapid development is now headed to court after local officials approved 17 data centers just before a state moratorium on a key tax break took effect.
What happened?
As Courthouse News reported, Hillsboro and Washington County moved those approvals through in a late rush connected to Oregon’s enterprise zone program, which offers major tax breaks to businesses.
Opponents say the subsidies have spared data center developers roughly $84 million that otherwise could have supported schools, fire departments, and other public services. The legal challenge came in June, when the outlet reported the land-use organization 1000 Friends of Oregon sued.
“Out of public view and in a hurry, city and county staff approved those applications without the required notice and without authorization or oversight,” attorney Jesse A. Buss wrote in the complaint, per Courthouse News…