Clackamas County has scheduled two public hearings on a proposed data center moratorium for Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 in Oregon City.

The Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners will consider adopting a temporary pause on new data centers in unincorporated county land. The first hearing is set for Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. The second is Thursday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. Both will take place in the Board Meeting Room on the fourth floor of the Clackamas County Public Services Building, 2051 Kaen Road, Oregon City.

The Oct. 21 evening session will also be available on Zoom. Residents who cannot attend either hearing may submit written testimony to [email protected], and it will be included in the official record, according to the county's announcement.

County staff will present information about the criteria for establishing a moratorium but will not propose changes to county code at the hearings. If the board adopts a moratorium, public testimony could help shape future code changes, the county said.

The hearings follow a debate that began in July over whether Clackamas County should welcome or restrict data center growth.

No data centers exist in the county. No developer had filed an application as of July, according to the West Linn Tidings. Under current zoning, a company could build one in general industrial, light industrial or business park zones.

Commissioners directed staff to begin the moratorium process at an Aug. 11 meeting, as first reported by KOIN. Oregon law requires a public hearing and findings demonstrating "compelling need" due to "public harm" before a county can adopt a moratorium.

Commissioner Diana Helm, who in July had expressed openness to attracting data centers, took a different position at the Aug. 11 meeting. "I want to be very responsive to our constituents," Helm said at the Aug. 11 meeting, as reported by KOIN. "They want to make sure nothing happens at all until we have guardrails in place."

Board Chair Craig Roberts raised noise concerns at a July 7 meeting, noting that fans used at data centers can be very loud. Commissioner Paul Savas said at the same meeting that he wanted to "keep close tabs" on the issue, warning that passing costs on to ratepayers "is really not a good tradeoff."

The moratorium debate extends beyond Clackamas County. Hillsboro issued its own data center moratorium in July, and four other Oregon cities have begun similar processes, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Data centers statewide occupy more than 2,100 acres, with communities planning for 9,000 more.

If adopted, the moratorium would last 120 days and could be extended.