Developers of proposed data center hold second community meeting as opposition continues

Boulder City, Nevada residents protested a proposed AI data center during a second town hall meeting for the Townsite Solar 2 project. Opponents cited concerns over the data center's potential impact on the city's small-town character, its high water consumption in a region facing dropping Lake Mead levels, and the strain on power from the Hoover Dam. Project manager Rick Lammers stated that developers have adapted plans based on initial feedback, including pivoting to an air-cooled process to avoid using waste effluent for cooling. He emphasized the site's remote location, nearly three miles from the nearest resident and 400 feet below ground, as natural buffers for sound, heat, and particulate matter. Despite the developer's assurances and claims of $2.5 million in city revenue in the first year and $300 million over the project's lifetime, some residents, like Kendra, remain unconvinced and concerned about safety. The project's next step is a Planning Commission hearing scheduled for May 20.