Seattle committee hears broad public push for data‑center moratorium and advances six ordinances to full council

Seattle — The Parks & City Light Committee of the Seattle City Council met May 20 and spent much of the session hearing public comment urging a moratorium on large "AI" data centers while advancing six pieces of legislation to the full council.

Dozens of residents, technical experts and advocates addressed the committee during a nearly hour‑long public‑comment block. "These large language‑model centers didn't exist even five years ago, and they are projected to use between 9% and 20% of all U.S. electricity by 2030," said Evan, an early speaker, arguing that the scale of new facilities merits special scrutiny and local standards. Audrey, an electrical engineer who said she serves on the Seattle City Light board, told the committee: "Our power grid is not prepared to handle large‑load data centers," and urged a moratorium to allow time to assess safeguards and build out clean energy capacity.

The public commenters, representing neighborhood residents, climate and community groups and parents, raised overlapping concerns: potential increases in electricity rates for Seattle customers; heavy water use during a regional drought; siting of large facilities in South Seattle and Tukwila where communities already face industrial burdens; non‑disclosure agreements between utilities and tech firms; and the need for tribal consultation on treaty‑protected fishing and water rights. Ben Jones, community director of 350 Seattle, told the committee his group had helped generate more than 93,000 messages in support of a pause on development: "This is a chance to show leadership," he said.

Committee action and votes

While the data‑center items were the most contested topic in public comment and will return to the committee and the Land‑Use Committee for additional work, the Parks & City Light Committee suspended the rules and recommended passage of six ordinances to the full City Council (all measures will appear on the June 2 full‑council agenda) and advanced discussion of a data‑center resolution.

Votes at a glance (committee recommendations)
- Council Bill 121199 (Endangered Species Act land‑deed acceptance): recommended 5–0. Staff described acceptance of several mitigation properties to support salmon recovery in the Skagit and Tolt watersheds (roughly 326 acres in Skagit plus a parcel in the Tolt; about $60,000 in City Light funds and $5 million in state grant funds were cited as part of these acquisitions). (Mover: Chair Juarez; second: unnamed; vote recorded SEG 1374–1390.)
- Council Bill 121204 (Easement to Puget Sound Energy, Bellevue): recommended 5–0. The easement allows PSE use of a small portion of City Light property and accepts fair‑market payment. (Vote recorded SEG 1630–1646.)
- Council Bill 121205 (Easement to King County, Skyway — ADA ramp/sidewalk): recommended 4–0 with one abstention (Strauss). The property conveyance covers a small triangular area (about 65 square feet) to permit an ADA curb‑ramp and sidewalk tie‑in. (Vote recorded SEG 1649–1675.)
- Council Bill 121211 (PBRS/current‑use taxation — Myers P‑Patch): recommended 5–0. King County assessed the P‑Patch under the Public Benefit Rating System and recommended a 10‑point score, producing a 50% reduction in taxable value for the community garden property if approved. (Vote recorded SEG 1840–1865.)
- Council Bill 121212 (Madison Park Cooperative Preschool – 10‑year lease): recommended 4–0. Seattle Parks & Recreation staff described the preschool's history at the Madison Park bathhouse and a public‑benefit commitment that includes scholarships and community programming. (Vote recorded SEG 2108–2126.)
- Council Bill 121213 (Victory Heights Cooperative Preschool – 10‑year lease): recommended 5–0. The Victory Heights preschool serves roughly 42 students and presented a public‑benefit plan of scholarships, community events and volunteer stewardship. (Vote recorded SEG 2260–2280.)

What staff said about data‑center policy work

Central staff briefed the committee on Resolution 32204, which recognizes the potential long‑term effects of large data centers on electrical grid capacity and reliability, water usage, utility rates, land use, the local economy and public health, and requests coordinated action from the mayor’s office and city departments to develop policy and anticipate legislation. The resolution also asks Seattle City Light to pursue a rate class for large data‑center customers and requests cross‑departmental coordination on equity and environmental impacts.

"The goal is to reduce or mitigate those effects and to hold operators accountable for the costs and impacts of their operations," Central staff member Eric McConaghy told the committee. Chair Juarez and members emphasized the need to include tribal consultation on water and fishing treaty rights, to coordinate with the Land‑Use Committee (which is considering a moratorium), and to ensure Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities and other departments work in step on technical analyses.

What happens next

Chair Juarez said the moratorium vote will be considered in the Land‑Use Committee on June 3 and that the Parks & City Light Committee expects to continue data‑center discussion at its June 3 meeting at 2:00 p.m. The six ordinances advanced by the committee will be transmitted to the full City Council for consideration on the June 2 agenda.

By the end of the meeting the committee had not adopted any final data‑center policy; members said they sought more technical analysis, department coordination and consultation with tribal governments before drafting binding rules or rate changes.