en.Wedoany.com Reported - US data center operator Digital Realty has submitted a plan to the Seattle City Council to build a new data center in the city. Meanwhile, the Seattle municipal government is considering a one-year moratorium on new data center development projects.
The project, located at 301 Virginia Street/1930 3rd Ave, plans to demolish existing retail buildings and parking lots to construct a six-story data center. The site covers approximately 58,000 square feet (5,388 square meters) and will include research and development labs, office, and retail space upon completion. Demolition and construction may begin in 2027. A spokesperson for Digital Realty stated that the project will be a "highly interconnected, network-dense facility, rather than an AI data center."
The building, which was a Bed Bath & Beyond store before 2018, currently houses Cannonball Arts, a contemporary art and music venue operated by the organizer of the Bumbershoot music festival. The site is owned by real estate company Clise Properties. A spokesperson for Clise Properties told the Business Journal that Digital Realty has expressed interest in the property and is independently conducting due diligence to fully assess whether the site meets its future development needs. This may mark the beginning of a lengthy process.
Digital Realty already has a facility in the city—the SEA10 carrier hotel at 2001 Sixth Avenue (the Westin Building), offering 400,400 square feet (37,200 square meters) of colocation space and 13MW of power capacity. The 34-story building, constructed in 1981, was originally the Westin Building and served as the headquarters of Westin Hotels. Digital Realty, which had long held a minority stake in the building alongside Clise Properties, acquired a majority interest at the end of 2020.
The Seattle City Council's Land Use and Sustainability Committee voted unanimously this week to recommend a one-year moratorium on new data center development and a supporting resolution. The full council is expected to vote on both measures next week. It remains unclear whether, if the moratorium passes, Digital Realty and any of its planned projects would be allowed to proceed, as they have already initiated the process.
Seattle reportedly has approximately 30 data center facilities. However, Mayor Katie Wilson introduced provisions that could block new development projects this year after four companies—reportedly including Prologis, Equinix, and Sabey—recently submitted plans to Seattle City Light to build five large-scale data centers in the city area. These five data centers have a total capacity of 389MW. Two of the projects have reportedly been withdrawn.
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