Amazon eyes West Richland data center, sets open house
By Dan Thesman on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
WEST RICHLAND, Washington — Amazon has acquired land in West Richland to explore building a major data center campus, marking another prospective tech hub in the fast-growing Columbia Basin.
The proposed project in Benton County is separate from Amazon’s planned data center campus currently navigating the permitting process in neighboring Walla Walla County.
The company confirmed Monday that it purchased a piece of the Lewis and Clark Ranch site, located north of Ruppert Road within city limits, from a development firm that had placed the parcel under contract. Early plans outline an initial phase of three data center buildings, expected to generate between 120 and 150 full-time jobs alongside millions of dollars in annual local tax revenue. Amazon projected that the site could eventually expand to as many as 21 buildings and create over 1,000 permanent positions.
City officials noted that the project remains in preliminary stages and emphasized that no formal development or permit applications have been submitted. Without submitted plans, the city has not yet evaluated project-specific details such as building design, electrical capacity, water consumption, or infrastructure needs. Land purchases do not constitute development approval, officials said.
To engage residents, Amazon will host an open house on Thursday, Nov. 19 at Enterprise Middle School, 5200 Paradise Way, in West Richland, from 5 to 8 p.m. The open house will be styled like a science fair, where community members can speak with specialists about water usage, energy demand, noise, jobs, and environmental impacts.
