Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing
Vantage Data Centers plans Colorado's largest data center in Aurora, drawing local opposition due to environmental and power concerns, especially as it may be approved without public hearings. This comes as Denver enacted a moratorium on data centers, and other Colorado municipalities are following suit, reflecting a statewide push for stricter regulations on these energy and water-intensive facilities. The Aurora City Council rejected a moratorium but proposed new regulations on water use and buffer zones.
The Pagosa Daily Post republished an article detailing the controversy surrounding data center developments in Colorado, specifically focusing on the Denver metropolitan area. Vantage Data Centers is proposing the “Trident Data Center” in Aurora, potentially the state's largest, on a 143-acre site next to a new housing development. Despite its significant electrical demand of 500 megawatts and location in a pollution-burdened census block, Aurora city officials indicated it could be approved administratively without a public hearing due to its industrial zoning. Vantage Vice President Mark Freeman stated the company is in early planning stages and intends to engage with officials and the community.
This situation mirrors a CoreSite data center project in Denver's Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods, which was also approved without a public hearing. This led the Denver City Council to enact a one-year moratorium on data center developments in May to review regulations. Many municipalities statewide have since paused data center applications, reflecting a national trend of public outcry against these power- and water-intensive facilities, particularly regarding their environmental impact, including air pollution from diesel generators and strain on electricity grids.
Aurora City Councilmember Amy Wiles has been advocating for stronger regulations in her city, where QTS is also constructing a large data center campus. While her proposal for a six-month data center moratorium was rejected by the Aurora City Council in August, the council did approve a resolution directing the city manager to develop measures within 30 days to regulate water use and establish buffer zones. Specifically, council members agreed to ban cooling technologies requiring large water volumes, mandating closed-loop chillers instead, a technology Vantage claims the Trident facility will use. However, the Trident project still proposes 28 emergency diesel backup generators, raising concerns among residents and state officials about air quality. Residents and environmental groups continue to push for data center operators to use renewable energy and contribute to grid upgrades.