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Umatilla County commissioners co‑adopt Hermiston's 810‑acre UGB expansion for heavy industry and data centers
Summary
The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners voted to co‑adopt an 810‑acre expansion of the City of Hermiston's urban growth boundary and related zoning to allow heavy industrial use with a hyperscale data center overlay; staff said public improvements would be developer‑funded and the decision is final and appealable to the Land Use Board of Appeals.
Umatilla County commissioners on Oct. 15 voted to co‑adopt a City of Hermiston proposal to add roughly 810 acres to the city's urban growth boundary for heavy industrial use and a hyperscale data center overlay.
Clint Spencer, representing Hermiston, told the board the city's 2024 economic opportunities analysis found a pronounced shortage of suitable heavy industrial sites, especially for data centers, and recommended the targeted UGB expansion. "We have a pronounced lack of suitable sites for heavy industrial use specifically for data centers," Spencer said, asking the county to adopt the city's comprehensive plan and zoning amendments.
City‑hired consultants from Winterbrook Planning presented technical work that screened land within about a mile of the existing UGB for contiguous, developable blocks of at least 100 acres, flat topography, limited flood risk, and proximity to utilities and rail. Kiva Campbell of Winterbrook explained that three southern tracks (labeled S1–S3 in the consultants' analysis) met the criteria and that the analysis assumes substantial public‑infrastructure work — water and sewer line extensions, intersection upgrades and stormwater systems — would be completed by developers as part of site development.
Campbell described a proposed "hyperscale data center overlay" that would allow only data center development on the newly annexed parcels unless the city later pursued a separate land‑use change. She said that the transportation and utilities analyses include margin to accommodate some two‑story construction if future demand required it.
Planning staff summarized that the Hermiston City Council approved the package in September 2025 and the Umatilla County Planning Commission recommended approval (6‑0, 1 abstention). County planners identified the subject properties by assessor taxlots and said the board's decision on co‑adoption is final and subject to appeal to the Land Use Board of Appeals.
Commissioners asked about soil classes used to screen eastern tracts, traffic assumptions, and whether two‑story buildings would change the analysis. City and consultant staff said eastern tracts were discounted for higher‑value soils and the transportation and public‑facilities work contain buffers to accommodate reasonable variation in building form.
With no members of the public appearing in opposition, a commissioner moved to approve the co‑adoption as presented; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The decision now becomes part of the county record and may be appealed to the Land Use Board of Appeals.
Next steps: the expanded parcels will be annexed into Hermiston and developers seeking to build under the overlay will be required to meet applicable zoning and public‑facilities standards and fund needed infrastructure improvements.
