Data centers in Hood River County, Oregon: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Hood River County's one data center proposal ended in a recall. On February 3, 2023 the Port of Cascade Locks signed a memorandum of understanding with Roundhouse Digital Infrastructure, a startup few had heard of, that could have led to a 25-year lease on Flex 6, a vacant port building on the Columbia River, plus 10 adjacent acres for a second building. The port commission approved it 4-1. Roundhouse aimed to invest $40 million in the first building and $60 million in the second, targeting "niche government and energy industry" clients. The port needed a tenant: it owed nearly $6 million on Flex 6 and was paying more than $50,000 a month on the loans after its previous tenant left in 2022.

Columbia Insight then looked into Roundhouse's chief executive, Stephen D. King, and found more than $1 million owed to former partners from an earlier Hood River venture that was never built. "The state of Oregon looked into it and found that there was no issue," King said, adding that he meant to repay those he owed out of the data center. "If the whole entire city said they wanted the data center, by God, I would back them," said Hood River dentist Jerald Kyle House, who had helped develop the plan with King. "But things aren't adding up with Roundhouse."

Power was the other fear. The city supplies about 4.5 megawatts to homes and businesses, up to 7 in winter; King's figures put the two buildings at about 10 to 11. The Bonneville Power Administration confirmed it would charge the city a higher rate partly because of the data center. "The whole thing is a gamble," said Mayor Cathy Fallon. "I don't want Cascade Locks holding the bag." Residents organized: in May 2023 two critics of the proposal defeated two incumbent port commissioners, and on June 13 voters recalled two port commissioners, including the port president, two to one. On July 20 the port and Roundhouse jointly announced they were discontinuing the project, saying "the level of community support required for its successful implementation was not achieved."

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.