Hillsboro City Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair wants independent researchers — not city staff alone — to tell Hillsboro what its data centers are doing to the local economy and environment before the city writes permanent rules.

In her first on-the-record interview since the council's unanimous July 27 moratorium vote, Sinclair told KATU News that the 120-day pause should produce rigorous, third-party studies on data centers and battery energy storage systems, according to the Hillsboro Herald's account of the Wednesday, July 29 interview.

Key concerns driving the study request: heavy power draw, chemical risks from lithium battery systems, and potential thermal effects on the Tualatin River.

"Hillsboro and Washington County used to be known for our agricultural system. Now in the era of AI… it's data centers," Sinclair said.

What the moratorium blocks

As we reported July 28, the city will not accept, process, or approve new land use applications for data centers or BESS facilities as a primary use until approximately November 24. Accessory uses are capped at less than 20% of a site's total structure square footage, less than 20% of original construction value, or less than 20% (or 20 megawatts) of total contracted electrical capacity.

Projects that already submitted applications may continue.

The council could extend the moratorium for an additional six months under Oregon law.

The schedule ahead

The Hillsboro Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on proposed Community Development Code amendments on Wednesday, August 26. The City Council is slated to hold a first reading September 15, with adoption possible as soon as October 6, according to the Hillsboro News Times.

Sinclair said the council and Planning Commission will hold work sessions over the next four months to review study findings, quantify environmental metrics, and consider updates to city code and zoning definitions.

Councilor Olivia Alcaire echoed the call for outside expertise at the July 27 meeting, saying 120 days is not enough time to do research responsibly and urging the creation of an independent advisory commission.

The jobs-per-acre problem

Sinclair's sharpest critique targets enterprise zone tax abatements. She argued the incentives were designed for high-wage, high-density advanced manufacturing — not data centers that, according to the city's 2021 Economic Opportunities Analysis, yield roughly 3 jobs per acre compared to 17 for general industrial use.

The numbers back her up. That same analysis projected data centers would consume 73.5 to 122.5 acres over a full 20-year horizon through 2040. The city says 179 acres have already been approved since December 2020, with another 143 under review.

The 20-year projection was exceeded in roughly five years.

Hillsboro currently hosts 436 acres of data centers with 50 more under construction, serving Adobe, LinkedIn, Meta, TikTok, and X.

Pushback from labor

Not everyone is cheering the freeze. Chris Carpenter, political director of IBEW Local 48, said at the July 27 special session that data centers provide valuable local construction jobs at a time when Oregon's industry is struggling. "We have some serious concerns over having a blanket moratorium on something for a duration of time," Carpenter said at the meeting.

What's next

The Governor's statewide data center task force is due to report in October 2026; the city has framed the moratorium as buying time to align with that report. Sinclair, who is also running for Washington County Commissioner, said the stakes extend beyond Hillsboro's industrial zones to the county's prime agricultural soil.

The Planning Commission's Wednesday, August 26 public hearing is the next chance for residents to weigh in.