Case File · Hillsboro, Washington County, Oregon
230 MW in the Silicon Forest.
But the moratorium petition is circulating.
Hillsboro, Washington County, OR — Stack Infrastructure, 50+ acres, $4B green financing. Three campuses (POR01, POR02, POR03) operating in Oregon's Silicon Forest corridor. But a Hillsboro councilor has launched a moratorium petition, residential rates are up ~50%, and the Governor's advisory committee is drafting policy recommendations.
RealClear scores this site 72/100 — operational and permitted today, but with gathering political headwinds before October 2026.
230 MW
Capacity
3
Campuses
$4B green
Financing
15+
DCs in Hillsboro
~50%
Rate Increase
11.4%
Oregon DC Power
Hillsboro, Oregon
Operational today. Contested tomorrow.
Silicon Forest Establishment
Stack establishes Hillsboro presence (POR01, POR02, POR03 campuses)
Stack Infrastructure builds out a three-campus footprint in Hillsboro's Silicon Forest corridor — 230 MW of capacity across 50+ acres, supported by PGE transmission and a deep tech talent pool. Hillsboro becomes one of the highest-density data-center markets on the West Coast, with 15+ operational facilities.
2024
Residential electricity rates up nearly 50%
Portland General Electric and neighboring utilities report residential rate increases of roughly 50% over the prior rate period. Reporting shows data centers pay less than half the per-kWh rate of residential customers, reframing Hillsboro's growth narrative into a cost-shift narrative.
2025
Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair launches moratorium petition
A Hillsboro City Councilor begins circulating a moratorium petition targeting new data-center development. Oregon SB 1586 — which would have opened farmland for data centers — is defeated in Salem. The political trajectory shifts from accommodation to restriction.
March 2025
Stack secures $4B green financing for Portland / Stafford / Toronto
Stack closes a $4B green-financing package covering Portland-metro, Stafford (VA), and Toronto expansion. Hillsboro's existing campuses are explicitly in-scope for continued build-out — giving Stack capital and runway, but also raising the stakes if the political environment tightens.
January 2026
Gov. Tina Kotek creates Data Center Advisory Committee
Governor Kotek signs an executive order establishing a state-level Data Center Advisory Committee. The committee is tasked with recommending policy on siting, rate allocation, water use, and tax treatment. Policy recommendations are expected by October 2026.
2026
Policy recommendations expected by October
The advisory committee's October 2026 deliverable becomes the default decision gate. Any new Oregon data-center application filed after the report could face new siting standards, cost-recovery tariffs, or outright siting restrictions depending on the committee's posture.
The Infrastructure Fact
230 MW Operating Today
Stack operates 230 MW of capacity across three Hillsboro campuses (POR01, POR02, POR03). The infrastructure is real, online, and anchored by PGE transmission. This is not a speculative pipeline — it is deployed capacity with committed tenants.
The Rate Disparity
Residential +50%, DC <½ Per-kWh
Residential electricity rates in the Portland metro rose roughly 50% into 2024. Reporting indicates data centers pay less than half the residential per-kWh rate. This disparity is the single most potent political argument against new data-center siting in Oregon today.
The Political Trajectory
Restrictive, Not Accommodating
SB 1586 (farmland access for data centers) was defeated. A Hillsboro councilor is circulating a moratorium petition. The Governor created a Data Center Advisory Committee. None of these signals point toward a friendlier 2027 — they point the other way.
The Capital Position
$4B Green Financing
Stack secured $4B of green-labeled financing in March 2025 covering Portland, Stafford, and Toronto. The capital is real and the runway is long — but deploying it into new Oregon sites after the October 2026 advisory report is a different risk profile than deploying it on already-permitted expansions.
Key Decision Makers & Stakeholders
The people shaping the Silicon Forest's next chapter.
Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair
Hillsboro City Council
Hillsboro, Oregon
Documented Record
Launched a moratorium petition in 2025 targeting new data-center development in Hillsboro, citing residential rate increases, school-district revenue loss from tax abatements, and the pace of industrial growth in the Silicon Forest corridor.
Sinclair is the local face of the moratorium movement. A single councilor with a petition does not pass restrictive legislation on its own — but the petition is the visible organizing tool that surfaces constituent support and signals the political temperature to the full council and state-level actors.
Governor Tina Kotek
Governor of Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Documented Record
In January 2026 created the Data Center Advisory Committee by executive action, tasked with recommending policy on siting, rate allocation, water use, and tax treatment. Policy recommendations expected by October 2026.
Kotek has not taken an oppositional posture — but creating a state-level advisory committee is the classic precursor to regulatory tightening. The October 2026 report functions as a de facto decision gate: proposals that can be permitted before the report face a known regime; proposals after face whatever the committee recommends.
Mayor Beach Pace
Mayor of Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Oregon
Documented Record
Publicly noted that Hillsboro's data-center corridor reflects 20+ years of deliberate tech-infrastructure planning and investment. Has not endorsed the moratorium petition but has acknowledged the rate-disparity and school-funding concerns raised by constituents.
Mayor Pace's position is defensive of the existing Silicon Forest economic model without dismissing the constituent concerns driving the moratorium petition. The mayor's posture suggests the city will protect operational capacity but will not fight the state advisory committee — a calibrated stance that developers should read as a narrowing, not closing, window.
Stack Infrastructure
Data Center Developer / Operator
Hillsboro campuses POR01 / POR02 / POR03
Documented Record
Operates 230 MW across three Hillsboro campuses. Closed $4B in green financing in March 2025 covering Portland-metro, Stafford, and Toronto build-out. Continues to publicly frame Hillsboro as a long-term infrastructure investment aligned with regional tech customers.
Stack's position is straightforward: protect and extend the existing footprint, close quickly on expansions that can be permitted under the current regime, and engage constructively with the advisory committee rather than fight it. The capital is in hand — the binding constraint is timing, not financing.
“What if you knew — before you committed capital — which side of October 2026 your project would land on?”
Two Scores, One Market
The Silicon Forest score moved.
Same geography. Same infrastructure. Different political environment. This is why a static feasibility score misses what actually drives outcomes.
Pre-2024 — Silicon Forest Heyday
82/100
- Established DC corridor with 20+ years of planning
- PGE transmission capacity and power access
- Tech talent pool anchored by Intel and peers
- No organized opposition — growth was consensus
2025 — Moratorium Movement
72/100
Stack is operational and expanding with $4B in green financing. But the moratorium petition is circulating, residential rate anger is growing, data centers are consuming 11.4% of Oregon's electricity, the farmland bill was defeated, and the advisory committee could recommend restrictions by October 2026.
The Pre-Filing Intelligence
What RealClear finds in Hillsboro.
Before a single application is filed. Before the advisory committee reports. Before a moratorium moves from petition to ordinance.
Site Analysis
Stack Infrastructure Campus (POR01 / POR02 / POR03)
Hillsboro, Washington County, Oregon
Zoning
Pathway
Community
Rate Disparity
Community Signal
Moratorium petition circulating. Hillsboro School District reports $128M lost from data-center tax abatements. Residential rates up ~50%. Rate disparity is emerging as the most potent opposition argument after water.
Applicant Strategy
Proceed on existing permitted sites. New proposals face increasing political headwinds — accelerate permitting timeline to beat a potential moratorium. Pair any new application with grid-investment or renewable-energy commitments to defuse the rate-disparity attack.
Recommendation
FAVORABLE, WITH TIMING CAVEATS. Hillsboro's Silicon Forest corridor is operational and permitted for existing sites. Screen whether a new project can be permitted before the Governor's Data Center Advisory Committee reports in October 2026.
The Decision Framework
Three signals. All publicly available.
The Silicon Forest window is narrowing, not closing. RealClear surfaces where, when, and for which project types.
Operational Corridor Protects Existing Sites
Hillsboro's Silicon Forest corridor has 20+ years of tech infrastructure investment. Stack's existing campuses are operational. The moratorium movement targets NEW facilities, not existing ones — so the marginal risk is concentrated on future applications, not the current footprint.
Political Trajectory Tightens Through October 2026
Oregon's political trajectory is restrictive. The defeated SB 1586, the Governor's advisory committee, and the rate-disparity anger all point toward tighter regulation by 2027. Screen for whether your project can be permitted before the advisory committee reports in October 2026.
Rate Disparity Is the New Water Argument
Pattern: rate disparity (data centers pay roughly half the residential per-kWh rate) is emerging as the most potent opposition argument after water. Developers who can demonstrate grid investment or renewable-energy commitments defuse this attack vector — and should lead with those commitments, not defend against them.
The lesson from Hillsboro:
A 230 MW operational footprint and $4B of green financing do not insulate a developer from a shifting political environment. Hillsboro rewards speed on already-permitted sites and punishes late filings. The window is narrowing — but it has not closed.
Know which side of October 2026 your project is on — before you commit capital.
Intelligence Brief
How RealClear built this assessment.
Every feasibility score is backed by a traceable intelligence trail — real articles, real officials, real patterns.
News Articles Indexed
Key Officials Profiled
Comparable Projects Approved
Opposition Groups Tracked
Event Timeline
Key milestones in the entitlement journey
Pre-2024
Stack establishes Hillsboro presence (POR01, POR02, POR03 campuses)
2024
Residential electricity rates up ~50%; data centers pay less than half per-kWh
2025
Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair launches moratorium petition; Oregon SB 1586 defeated
Mar 2025
Stack secures $4B green financing for Portland / Stafford / Toronto
Jan 2026
Gov. Tina Kotek creates Data Center Advisory Committee
Oct 2026
Advisory committee policy recommendations expected
Pre-2024
Stack establishes Hillsboro presence (POR01, POR02, POR03 campuses)
2024
Residential electricity rates up ~50%; data centers pay less than half per-kWh
2025
Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair launches moratorium petition; Oregon SB 1586 defeated
Mar 2025
Stack secures $4B green financing for Portland / Stafford / Toronto
Jan 2026
Gov. Tina Kotek creates Data Center Advisory Committee
Oct 2026
Advisory committee policy recommendations expected
Key Actors
Decision-makers and their positions
Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair
Hillsboro City Council
Launched moratorium petition in 2025 — the visible organizing face of the Silicon Forest restriction movement
Governor Tina Kotek
Governor of Oregon
Created state-level Data Center Advisory Committee — October 2026 report becomes de facto decision gate
Mayor Beach Pace
Mayor of Hillsboro
Defends 20 years of deliberate Silicon Forest planning but acknowledges rate-disparity and school-funding concerns
Stack Infrastructure
Data Center Developer / Operator
230 MW operational, $4B green financing closed in March 2025 — capital in hand, binding constraint is timing
Opposition Intelligence
Organized opposition groups
Hillsboro Moratorium Coalition
Hillsboro residents and ratepayers; petition circulating city-wide
Tactics
Petition circulation, city council testimony, rate-disparity framing, school-funding framing
Track Record
Emerging movement — petition active in 2025; not yet translated into an adopted moratorium ordinance
Engagement Strategy
Lead with grid-investment and renewable-energy commitments. Address rate-disparity directly — do not defend, pre-empt.
Risk Triggers
What activates opposition
- New data-center siting applications
- Residential rate filings
- School district revenue reports
Potential Allies
Groups that may support the project
Hillsboro Silicon Forest Employer Base
Industry
20+ years of tech infrastructure investment anchors economic argument for continued operational capacity
Portland General Electric
Utility
Transmission capacity available; but caught between data-center load growth and residential rate politics
Jurisdiction Pattern
What history tells us about this jurisdiction
Approval Rate
15+ data centers operational in Hillsboro corridor — historically permissive; pattern shifting in 2025-2026
Recent Shifts
Moratorium petition circulating, SB 1586 defeated, Governor's advisory committee created — political trajectory is tightening, not loosening
Key Insight
Score: 72/100. The Silicon Forest corridor rewards speed on already-permitted sites and punishes late filings. Developers should screen projects by whether they can be permitted before October 2026 — when the Governor's advisory committee is expected to deliver policy recommendations.
Intelligence compiled from 6 news articles, Hillsboro zoning code, Oregon SB 1586 legislative record, Governor's executive order establishing the Data Center Advisory Committee, and Stack Infrastructure financing disclosures
Primary Source Documents
6 DocumentsEvery finding cited to the source. Click any document to preview it directly.
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