Denver Forms Data Center Working Group Following Moratorium

Denver's Department of Community Planning and Development is seeking residents and experts for a new data center working group. The group, formed as part of a unanimous city council-approved moratorium on new data center development, will provide recommendations on potential regulations and policies, addressing concerns such as energy consumption, water use, noise pollution, and appropriate zoning. Councilman Paul Kashmann highlighted the need for the exploding industry to reduce its impact on "precious and dwindling resources like electricity and water" and to examine suitable zoning.

The formation of this working group follows a one-year moratorium enacted by the Denver City Council in May, led by council members Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Paul Kashmann, and Darrell Watson. The moratorium is set until May 21, 2027, but can be extended, with new rules and regulations potentially implemented sooner. District 9 Councilman Darrell Watson emphasized the group's focus on public health, neighborhood impact, climate goals, and fair utility costs, urging residents from Globeville, Elyria, and Swansea to apply.

The initiative comes amid significant community opposition, particularly concerning CoreSite's nearly finished three-story, 590,000-square-foot data center in north Denver's Globeville, Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods. Opponents claim the facility will consume energy equivalent to 100,000 homes and water for 19,000 homes daily. The Globeville Elyria-Swansea Neighborhood Coalition (GES) has advocated for stricter moratorium rules, seeking to classify data centers as major infrastructure requiring special review, public hearings, environmental impact disclosures, and responsibility for power bills. Alfonso Espino, a GES community organizer, expressed skepticism, viewing the working group as a potential "dog-and-pony show" if it doesn't impact existing or ongoing projects like CoreSite's.