Chris Pumphrey, president of Elevate Douglas Economic Partnership, told lawmakers that Douglas County intentionally pursued data centers as an alternative to large warehouse and distribution projects because data centers produce higher average wages, add property tax base and reduce heavy truck traffic.
Pumphrey described long lead times between announcement and full operation: “We announced in 2018, switch is just now finishing their final two buildings,” he said, noting that Google has been in Douglas County since 2006 and that AWS announced a large investment called “Project Lighthouse.” He said the AWS project will create an announced 252 jobs at about $75,000 average salary and will be the county’s largest taxpayer.
Pumphrey and others on the panel said data centers’ location decisions are driven first by power availability and then by connectivity and water considerations; many developers prioritize power infrastructure when choosing sites.
Why it matters: County officials said they view data centers as an economic development strategy that produces high‑paying jobs and sizeable tax revenues while shifting heavy freight impacts elsewhere. Lawmakers pressed how growth projections and infrastructure capacity are integrated into long‑range planning.