By Emma Renly
For Columbia Gorge News
KLICKITAT CO. — At least two sites in Klickitat County may host a data center sometime in the future, and a little-noticed decision by the planning commission over three years ago made those proposals easier to realize.
On Jan. 19, 2023, David McClure, director of natural resources and economic development for the county, submitted a code interpretation request to the then Planning Director, Mo-chi Lindblad.
In the document, data centers were categorized as “light-industrial activity” and “similar to warehouses.”
If the language passed, it would allow data centers in Klickitat County’s industrial park (IP) zones to be an outright use, which means they do not go through a formal public hearing process.
Klickitat County’s Planning Commission voted 7-0 with one abstention to allow the request a month later. Since the decision was a code interpretation, no changes to existing zoning ordinances were made.
In the findings, it stated that data centers are a good target market for Klickitat County, as the economic development department wants to strengthen and diversify the economy. This includes providing employment opportunities and increasing the tax base.
Economic Development Specialist Chelsey Jones said the county is currently working on creating a Community Benefits Agreement with multiple departments.
“If large-scale productions do come and develop, we would like to have something in place that benefits the county and its residents,” she said. “We can’t do anything about them coming or not coming.”
The agreement is at least two months out from being finalized, potentially longer.
The document also stated that finding land available and appropriately zoned for data centers will be an important factor to consider for incoming companies.
Both of the publicly-known proposals — one on Goldendale’s now closed aluminum smelter site, which is also the location of Rye Development’s Pumped Storage Project, and the other on an orchard owned by Scott Webster of The Fruit Company in Dallesport — lie within an IP zone.
Bingen’s waterfront, owned by the Port of Klickitat, is also an IP zone, and smaller segments exist in the towns of Lyle, Wishram and Roosevelt.
“It makes sense that that’s what data centers would look for,” said Scott Edelman, who’s served as Klickitat County’s planning director since March 2024. “They look for the route that provides the simplest planning process.”
Any data center proposed outside of an IP zone but still within designated urban boundaries would require a conditional use permit, which comes with a public hearing. No data centers are allowed beyond urban areas. There are 13 throughout the Gorge, including White Salmon, Bingen, Lyle, Wishram and Dallesport — the largest at 6,427 acres — in Klickitat County.
“The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act was created by Congress, and the Act explicitly states that industrial development is prohibited,” Bryce Guske, senior land use planner for the Columbia River Gorge Commission (CRGC), stated over email.
Urban Areas are exempt from National Scenic Area rules, he added. A 2020 vote by the CRGC made it so that urban areas can add a maximum of 50 total acres, ever, moving forward.
And for proposals on IP-zoned land in Klickitat County, Edelman noted that the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) does provide for some public input.
“That is an opportunity for the public to comment. It’s not a public hearing, there’s no meeting that people come to, but there is an opportunity for people to provide comments on the SEPA review,” Edelman said.
Landowners in unincorporated communities can apply for a zone change, but it requires a comprehensive plan map amendment, a public hearing with the planning commission and approval by the board of commissioners, he said, inviting folks to submit general comments or questions to BOCC@klickitatcounty.org anytime.
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This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.
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