Planning appeal filed after staff-level approval for proposed Amazon data center

During the study session, councilors received an update on the proposed Amazon data center. Staff said the site's plan received staff-level approval and that an appeal has been filed by the Teamsters organization, which is now proceeding through the planning-commission process.

A council member explained that the recent action was a staff-level approval and that opponents have started the appeals process: "After the environmental review, there's an appeal that was put in by the Teamsters, and that that is online right now," the member said. Staff reiterated that the approval process can continue through multiple appeal stages and that no final city council approval of a development permit has occurred.

Councilors directed staff to monitor the appeal and noted that if the planning commission or other bodies sustain appeals, additional steps and possible higher-level appeals could follow. The council did not take any vote on the data center during the meeting.

The city posted links to the Amazon data center section of the planning pages for public review and the chair asked interested residents to consult those materials and follow the published appeal schedule.