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KITTITAS COUNTY <br />COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES <br />AGENDA ITEM STAFF REPORT <br />AGENDA DATE: September 1, 2026 <br />ACTION REQUESTED: Request to Set a Public Hearing to consider extending the <br />Moratorium regarding Data Centers for an additional 6 months. <br />BACKGROUND: On August 10, 2026, the Board of County Commissioners of Kittitas <br />County adopted Resolution No. 2026-141 establishing an <br />emergency six-month moratorium on the acceptance, processing, <br />review, and approval of land use applications for the siting, <br />establishment, construction, expansion, conversion, or operation of <br />data centers within unincorporated Kittitas County, pursuant to <br />RCW 36.70A.390. <br />RCW 36.70A.390 further provides that a moratorium may be <br />renewed/extended for one or more six-month periods if a subsequent <br />public hearing is held and findings of fact are made prior to each <br />renewal. <br />Data centers remain a rapidly evolving land use involving large- <br />scale buildings, high electrical demand, backup power systems, <br />mechanical cooling systems, water or wastewater considerations, <br />noise -producing equipment, exterior lighting, traffic and <br />construction impacts, emergency response considerations, and <br />potential impacts to public infrastructure and neighboring land uses. <br />Kittitas County's existing land use, zoning, development, <br />environmental, building, infrastructure, and permitting regulations <br />do not adequately define, classify, review, condition, or mitigate <br />data center development or data center -related facilities <br />RECOMMENDATION: Set a Public Hearing for September 15, 2026, at 2:00 pm to Consider <br />extending the Moratorium an additional 6 months. <br />ATTACHMENTS: None <br />LEAD STAFF: Chad Bala, Director <br />