Fact check: No data center is proposed in Thurston County, and the county's pause hasn't been voted on yet

A widely shared local appeal asks city and county leaders to ban "hyperscale" data centers over 25 megawatts and pause other data center development. It names the developer DartPoints. Here's what public records show.

No proposal on file. Thurston County has no pending data center applications, county planning director Ashley Arai told commissioners Aug. 18, The Olympian reported. Sound Neighbors found no data center proposals in the Olympia, Lacey or Tumwater planning materials we reviewed.

DartPoints isn't here. The Dallas-based company lists 11 data centers in five states, none in Washington. Its $29 million purchase in Lexington, Ky., set off a debate there that matches the appeal's details, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader and CivicLex.

What the county has done. On Aug. 18 commissioners voted unanimously to have staff bring back a proposal for a one-year moratorium on new data center permits, with a board review before any vote.

What the county's page shows. As of Oct. 14, the county's code-amendments page lists only one adopted moratorium: a June 16 pause on detention facilities. It shows no data center moratorium. A Sept. 2 staff memo says data center rules are part of a code update scheduled into mid-2027.