Overview
- Hundreds of residents packed a Salem City Council hearing on July 27 and protesters displayed a towed guillotine, after which Verrus representatives left early saying they did not feel safe.
- Council members responded by unanimously directing staff to study banning NDAs with developers and to form a data-center task force to rewrite rules for siting.
- The council later adopted a temporary moratorium to pause new data-center development while zoning and permit rules are reviewed, though reports conflict on whether the pause is 120 days or one year.
- Verrus filed a land-use application three days before the moratorium took effect, so the company’s proposal remains in the city’s permitting pipeline but will still face lengthy technical reviews and permit conditions.
- Governor Tina Kotek announced termination of the planned sale of a 32-acre state parcel tied to the project, shrinking the site and forcing Verrus to revise plans as state and municipal decisions reshape the proposal.