Nearly 500 communities across the country have paused data centers. Denver is part of the growing trend.
Denver City Council approved a one-year moratorium on new data center applications after opposition to a 180,000-square-foot CoreSite facility in the Elyria Swansea neighborhood. The moratorium has delayed two additional buildings planned at the site while the city develops new data center regulations addressing community, environmental, power, water and land-use concerns.
A 180,000-square-foot CoreSite data center was built across from Elyria Park in Denver's historically polluted Elyria Swansea neighborhood, prompting opposition from residents including community activist Alfonso Espino. Critics cited the area's cumulative pollution burden and concerns about the scale and potential impacts of the facility.
Denver City Council, supported by Mayor Mike Johnston, enacted a one-year moratorium on new data center applications in May. The pause did not stop the CoreSite facility, whose zoning allowed it to proceed without City Council review, but it delayed two additional buildings planned for the same site. Johnston said Denver intends to adopt meaningful regulations before allowing the moratorium to expire and may extend the pause if necessary.
The report places Denver's action within a broader national trend, saying nearly 500 communities have paused or banned data center development as demand for artificial-intelligence infrastructure grows and residents debate impacts on electricity, water, land and the environment.