Salem discloses early Oakline data-center proposal at Mill Creek
The City of Salem has disclosed that Verrus is exploring a potential data-center operation called Oakline at Mill Creek at the Mill Creek Corporate Center.
The disclosure makes public an early-stage project that could eventually require review of industrial land use, site design, transportation access, utilities and environmental considerations. But the city emphasized that Verrus has not filed a formal development application and that the company would need to decide Salem is viable before the proposal moved into formal review.
Early discussions, not an approval
Salem’s information page, posted July 14, describes Oakline at Mill Creek as a potential project rather than an approved development or confirmed investment. The city said data centers are an allowed use in land zoned for Employment Centers, including the Mill Creek Corporate Center.
That zoning status does not eliminate the development-review process. If Verrus advances the proposal and files an application, city departments would review the plans under applicable development, utility and regulatory requirements.
The city said its work with Verrus so far has included one introductory meeting, one development-process consultation, three technical meetings and one conversation about a conservation easement for heritage oak trees.
Those discussions covered site design, transportation, utilities, environmental considerations and preservation of heritage oak trees, according to the city. The meetings are part of preliminary exploration and do not represent a final city action on the project.
Key details remain undisclosed
Salem did not disclose a final project size, expected electricity demand, water demand, tenant, construction schedule or a date for a formal application. Those unanswered details are significant because the city’s eventual review would need to address the specific plans submitted, rather than a general concept for a data center.
The city said the property is understood to be owned by the State of Oregon. The available city summary did not include an ownership document.
Salem also noted that the Oregon Public Utility Commission approved a Portland General Electric request for a separate rate structure for large data centers. The city did not state what effect, if any, that decision would have on a potential Oakline project in Salem or on other utility customers.
Disclosure followed the end of an NDA
City officials said Salem was released from a nondisclosure agreement on July 8. The city manager then informed the Salem City Council and the public at the council’s July 13 meeting, before the city posted its project information page the following day.
The public disclosure gives residents a clearer view of the preliminary contacts between the city and Verrus, while leaving the central development questions unresolved. There is no announced formal application date, and Salem has not described a final project proposal for public review.
What happens next
For now, the next substantive step depends on whether Verrus decides to pursue Salem and submits a development application. Salem’s published calendar lists City Council meetings for Aug. 10 and Aug. 24, though the calendar listing alone does not establish that Oakline will be on either agenda.
Until an application is filed, the project remains a preliminary proposal. Any future formal review would provide the framework for evaluating the site-specific plans, utility needs, transportation issues and environmental considerations identified by the city.
Sources
- Topics of Interest: Verrus' Mill Creek Data Center Project, City of Salem, Oregon
- Salem August 2026 Calendar, City of Salem, Oregon
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