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City staff explains land‑use limits: data centers are an allowed use; application not filed
Summary
City planning staff told the council that data centers are an allowed use in the Mill Creek employment center zone and that no complete land‑use application has been filed; staff outlined required technical studies and the administrative review path.
Kristen Rutherford, the city’s community planning and development director, walked the council through the development review process for a potential data center at the Mill Creek Corporate Center. Rutherford said data centers were added as an allowed use in the employment center zone in 2014 and that the site is currently not under a single ownership and would require acquisitions or leases.
Rutherford emphasized that the city does not yet have a complete site plan, utility projections, noise study, or traffic and environmental analyses. "A formal application, technical studies, permit conditions, and enforceable agreements will determine what is actually required," she said, listing water demand, wastewater estimates, load profiles, grid upgrade responsibilities, noise analyses, generator and testing schedules, and oak‑tree conservation easement terms as examples of evidence the city will need to evaluate.
She also explained the administrative path: a class 3 site‑plan review handled as a type 2 administrative procedure, a 14‑day written comment period once an application is deemed complete, and a 15‑day appeal window after staff issues a decision. Rutherford and the city attorney noted state law constraints that can limit council involvement for certain administrative land‑use decisions.
