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Council amends industrial zoning to add data centers as conditional use, sets 5‑acre minimum for SWIR
Summary
The council unanimously approved LA 26-04 (Council Bill 3302), updating the Woodburn Development Ordinance to permit targeted manufacturing and to treat data centers as conditional uses in the Southwest Industrial Reserve, and to set a 5‑acre minimum lot size with exceptions for projects that demonstrate substantial economic contribution.
The Woodburn City Council voted to adopt legislative amendments to the Woodburn Development Ordinance (LA 26‑04, Council Bill 3302) that revise permitted uses and standards for the Southwest Industrial Reserve (SWIR). Senior Planner Dan Handel told councilors the amendments add manufacturing targets (including transportation equipment and EV tech) as permitted uses in industrial zones, specifically call out food processing, and designate data centers (data storage/processing/IT) as conditional uses allowed only in the SWIR.
Handel explained the conditional‑use approach is intended to guarantee a public hearing and to give the city flexibility to impose project‑specific conditions to mitigate impacts in a rapidly evolving industry. "We're calling those out specifically, as a conditional use," Handel said. The package also replaces an older sub-area table with a flat 5‑acre minimum lot size for the SWIR (with an allowance to go below five acres if an applicant demonstrates a substantial contribution to comprehensive plan economic objectives), reflecting findings from the city's 2024 economic opportunities analysis. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval; council approved the ordinance by roll-call vote and planned to enact the ordinance (effective 30 days if passed unanimously).
