City Council Meeting – IMPORTANT Meeting on Verrus data center!

About this event

There will be an important Salem City Council meeting on Monday, November 9, from 6-8pm. Here is a brief synopsis of what is on the agenda:

Staff is asking Council to determine that the definition of “data center” in the city’s development code does not include AI computing hyperscale facilities since those were not on the city’s radar screen when “data centers” were added to the code as an allowable use in certain zones. There is a lot of legal language in the resolution to make “findings” to support this interpretation. Basically, if council agrees and adopts the resolution that “data centers” does not include hyperscale computing facilities, staff can administratively deny the Verrus application.

And here is a link to the Staff report:

It is really important that people attend this meeting either in person or remotely. Or if you can’t, please submit written comments. We understand Verrus officials will be there. They have mobilized the trades and business entities to oppose the resolution.

Submit comments on agenda items no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting at cityrecorder@cityofsalem.net .

Please note this item is NOT amending the code . That public hearing is 11/23. This item is asking council to make a legislative interpretation. It will likely be challenged but we need to support staff and show Verrus we do not want their project.

Here are some factiods and a great analogy:

• At build out, the Verrus project will use about 420 megawatts at any given moment. The entire Salem community uses about 150-200 MW. The data centers of 2014 until now use less than 2 MW.

• During peak heat, Verrus estimates it will need about 3.2 million gallons of water a day. The water storage tank to support the entire Mill Creek Corporate Campus is 2.2 million gallons…

• The Verrus project will be about 654,000 square feet plus battery arrays, 88 diesel generators and a PGE substation. Data centers of 2014 were onsite IT closets and small enterprise server rooms. They stored and transmitted data; their primary purpose was not AI data computing at an industrial level.

• The city’s current development code doesn’t address low frequency noise or increased ambient temperatures caused by these mega facilities.

• Finally, the analogy: the city allows people to have cats as pets; however, that doesn’t mean someone could keep a tiger, also a cat.