Amazon will host a community open house for its proposed data center near the Tri-Cities at Wallula Gap for those interested in learning about the project. 

The open house will be from 4-8 p.m. Aug. 11 at Columbia High School, 787 Maple St., in Burbank. The event will be a drop-in opportunity, with no formal presentation or program, according to an FAQ document shared by Walla Walla County’s Community Development department. 

Plans for the data center emerged in November 2024, after Amazon, under the Advance Phase LLC name, signed a letter of intent with the port. 

Port of Walla Walla officials at the time said the project, which is slated for the Wallula Gap Business Park southeast of the Tri-Cities on Highway 12, would grow Walla Walla County’s tax base by 50% as it is built out over four phases.  

Each phase will reportedly involve constructing four buildings, each about 215,000 square feet. The project is expected to create hundreds of full-time permanent jobs as well as construction jobs. 

The project is still in the planning stages; the county’s community development department said in the FAQs it has not yet received applications for the proposed data center. Once filed, it would trigger a required review process through the State Environmental Protection Act, or SEPA, to determine whether the project would impact the environment via a “determination of environmental significance.” 

Opponents of data centers are rallying against the project. Earlier this year, residents implored port commissioners to not sell the property for the project, citing concerns over water resources and electrical demand.  

Environmental group Earthjustice reiterated those concerns in a recent letter to the county, sent on behalf of the Walla Walla Anti-Data Center League and Columbia Riverkeeper. The groups are pushing for the county to either request Amazon provide more information on the proposed project or make a “determination of significance” for it, which would require a full environmental impact statement. 

To learn more about the project and see related documents and materials, go to: wwcowa.gov/government/community_development/amazon_data_center_faqs.php