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Residents press Arlington leaders for transparency over ‘Project Cascade,’ urge limits on data centers
Summary
Dozens of residents urged Arlington leaders to disclose details about a proposed Project Cascade site in the Cascade Industrial Center, raising concerns about NDAs, an estimated 9.5 megawatts of power demand, water use, traffic, noise and potential change-of-use to a data center.
Dozens of residents used the council’s public comment period to press Arlington officials for more information about “Project Cascade,” a privately led proposal near 172nd Street that includes parcels in both Arlington and Marysville.
Annie Fitzgerald told the council that “residents deserve honest communication, meaningful public involvement, and full disclosure” about the project’s intended uses, tenants and infrastructure impacts, and said she had heard the project could involve “approximately 9.5 megawatts of power capacity from the Snohomish County PUD.”
Speakers raised a range of concerns about whether the warehouses described in briefing documents could ultimately be used as data centers, citing developer nondisclosure agreements and past local projects. Julie Winchell summarized the argument this way: “If my puzzle pieces are accurate, and I believe they are, Project Cascade could turn out to be a data center.”
Several commenters pressed the council on water and energy impacts. Roosevelt Bravo Bagby said such projects “take our drinking water and kill our planet,” and multiple speakers cited high water use, noise complaints, potential long-term health risks and higher utility costs for residents if industrial users draw down local resources.
Residents also asked specific procedural questions. Linda Jensen requested that the city disclose operational assumptions — parking, traffic, utility demand and the land‑use category under review — even if a tenant’s identity remains confidential under an NDA. Jessica Rhodes urged the council to consider local protections for agricultural land and stronger eminent‑domain compensation standards, saying, “If corporations will profit for decades, then families deserve dignity in the moment that they are forced to sacrifice.”
Council members did not take formal action on Project Cascade during the meeting. The mayor had opened the session by saying the city was in early discussions with a company and that “no building permit applications have been submitted at this time,” and later reiterated that officials had said no proposal to allow a data center was being pursued at present.
The public comment period was limited to 30 minutes; the council moved on after taking the comments on the record with no vote on land‑use changes or restrictions at this meeting.
