Hillsboro residents now have until Sept. 6 to weigh in on proposed zoning rules that would cap where and how much new data center development can happen in the city.

The City of Hillsboro opened an online community survey on Monday, Aug. 17, asking for feedback on Phase 1 Code Amendments that would restrict standalone data centers to just two industrial zones and set hard acreage limits on future growth. City staff will also set up booths at the Hillsboro Tuesday Night Market on Tuesday, Aug. 18, Aug. 25 and Sept. 1 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. for face-to-face conversations about the proposed changes.

The survey is the first structured opportunity for the public to shape permanent code amendments that will outlast the city's 120-day moratorium on new data center and Battery Energy Storage System applications, which the City Council enacted unanimously on July 27.

What the proposed rules would change

Under the current Community Development Code, standalone data centers are allowed in all industrial zones, one commercial zone and three urban center zones. The Phase 1 amendment would narrow that to two zones: Industrial Park (I-P) and Industrial Sanctuary (I-S). Data centers would be banned as a primary use everywhere else.

The proposal also sets acreage caps: 215 acres in I-P and 310 acres in I-S. According to Hillsboro Herald reporting, roughly 203 acres are already committed in I-P and 293 in I-S, leaving room for only about 12 and 17 additional acres, respectively. Combined, the caps would permit just 29 more acres of standalone data center development across both zones.

The amendments would also define Battery Energy Storage Systems in the code for the first time and allow data centers as an "accessory use" with size and type limitations still to be determined.

Timeline and next steps

Marcus Ford, the city's community engagement manager, said in a written statement that the two-phased approach will first address definitions and where to allow or prohibit data and energy storage facilities this fall, with Phase 2 tackling design standards like building height, buffers and green building requirements in winter and spring 2027.

The Hillsboro Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposed amendments on Aug. 26, where public comment will be accepted. City Council would then take up a first reading Sept. 15 and could adopt the changes as early as Oct. 6.

The moratorium runs through Nov. 24 and could be extended an additional six months.

Scale of the issue

The Herald's ongoing tracking project counts 27 data center buildings currently operating in Hillsboro, not including Intel's three or four facilities. Another 10 buildings are in planning stages, putting the city on track for roughly 40 data center buildings within a year.

Mayor Beach Pace said at the July 27 special meeting that the short public notice for the moratorium vote was intended to "prevent a rush of applications from data centers."

As we reported July 29, Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair called for independent studies and an enterprise zone review during the pause.

Residents can take the survey at engage.hillsboro-oregon.gov/data-centers or visit the city's booth at the Tuesday Night Market starting Tuesday, Aug. 18. The survey's open-ended feedback field is limited to 250 characters.