Public Meeting: Spokane County’s Data Center Legislation
Monday, October 26, 7 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn, Airway Heights, 9015 W. US Highway 2, Spokane

The Spokane County Plan Department is drafting a zoning ordinance to control data centers development. Public involvement and media attention has been huge. If you’ve been trying to follow it and can’t keep track of this complex calendar and complicated legal process, this meeting is for you.

Scott Chesney, Planning Director for Spokane County, will explain and update the zoning rulemaking underway. It sets the procedures and requirements for permitting a data center, the unincorporated locations where these facilities can meet the standards needed for the health, safety, and general welfare of County residents.

The public process so far has drawn hundreds of public comments, standing-room-only meetings, and a shifting calendar of agendas and open discussion before the Board of County Commissioners and the Planning Commission. This is a chance to hear the current draft summarized in one place, by the person leading the work.

It matters out here. Some of the likeliest large-enough sites for data centers are former farmland on the West Plains, including unincorporated areas with proven PFAS groundwater contamination from Fairchild Air Force Base and Spokane International Airport.

The evening covers:

– The draft ordinance: what it is and what it would do

– Location standards: where data centers could be permitted, and why

– Permitting: the procedures and requirements a project would have to meet

– The public process: what’s happened so far and where it stands now

– What’s next: the upcoming schedule and how to stay involved

– Your questions: time set aside for the room

Bring your questions and observations. The meeting is free, parking is free, and everyone’s welcome.

This meeting is funded in part by Toxic-Free Future and assisted by 350.org and the Spokane Environmental Policy Coalition.