AWS Arlington Oregon data center, Arlington, Oregon

Amazon Data Services has bought about 376 acres at the Arlington Mesa Industrial Park, above the Columbia River town of Arlington in Gilliam County, Oregon, for a future AWS data center campus, and was buying another 30 acres from the Port of Arlington. The Arlington City Council agreed on August 7, 2024, to sell 375.605 acres to Amazon for $10,111,000; the port parcel was priced at $3 million.

Amazon has said the campus is years away while it pursues permits, electricity and tax breaks, and that it plans 13 years ahead when choosing sites. Kevin Miller, Amazon's vice president of data centers, said the site sits close to the company's campuses in Morrow and Umatilla counties: "I think it could be equivalent to what we would have in nearby locations."

The City of Arlington, the Port of Arlington and the Gilliam County Court signed a non-disclosure agreement with Amazon in 2022, and when the Times-Journal requested the sale agreement, the city released a redacted copy and charged attorney fees. Across Oregon, Amazon receives nearly $100 million a year in tax breaks on its data centers, far more than the $50 million it pays in local taxes and fees, and County Judge Cris Patnode said Gilliam County would instead negotiate under the Strategic Investment Program.

"It's going to be an enhanced growth spurt for us and we're actually quite excited about it," Mayor Jeffery Bufton said. Judge Patnode said officials hope to put tax revenue into housing, schools, daycare and parks, while the port plans a workforce housing subdivision.