Digital Realty is looking to build a new data center in Seattle, Washington, just as the city is looking to introduce a moratorium on new developments.

As reported by BizJournal and others, US colo firm Digital Realty has filed plans with the Seattle city council about a new data center.

The company aims to demolish the existing retail building and parking garage at 301 Virginia Street/1930 3rd Ave and build a six-story data center. The 58,000 sq ft (5,388 sqm) site would also include an R&D lab, office, and retail space.

Demolition and construction could start in 2027.

“The project we're currently assessing would be a highly connected, network-dense facility, not an AI data center,” a Digital Realty spokesperson told the Business Journal.

Formerly a Bed Bath & Beyond store until around 2018, the building is currently home to Cannonball Arts, a contemporary art and music venue from the producers of the Bumbershoot festival. The site is reportedly owned by real estate firm Clise Properties.

"Digital Realty has expressed interest in the property, and they are independently conducting due diligence to fully understand the site's viability to meet their future development needs. This is the beginning of what can be a very long process," a Clise spokesperson told the Business Journal.

Digital has one existing facility in the city. It operates the SEA10 carrier hotel at 2001 Sixth Avenue (aka the Westin Building), offering 400,400 sq ft (37,200 sqm) and 13MW of colocation space. The 34-story building was constructed in 1981 as the Westin Building, housing the corporate offices of Westin Hotels. Long a minority owner alongside Clise Properties, Digital took a majority stake in the building in late 2020.

Digital’s plans come the same week that Seattle officials are set to introduce a ban on new data developments. The city council's land use and sustainability committee this week unanimously voted in favour of recommending a one-year moratorium and an accompanying resolution. A full council vote on both measures is expected next week.

It’s unclear if Digital’s and any potential projects in planning would be allowed through the process if the moratorium is adopted, since they have already started the process.

Seattle reportedly has around 30 facilities. But Mayor Katie Wilson this year introduced a possible block on new developments after four companies – said to include Prologis, Equinix, and Sabey – recently approached Seattle City Light about building five large-scale data centers in the Seattle area, totaling 389MW. Two of the projects have reportedly been withdrawn already.