Aurora mayor opposes proposed Vantage Data Centers facility and seeks public review
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman is opposing Vantage Data Centers' proposed Trident hyperscale facility in northeast Aurora and is calling for a public hearing and council vote. Residents have raised concerns about noise, air emissions, water use and the lack of public notice, while the project has already received preliminary administrative approval.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman has urged the city to stop or reconsider Vantage Data Centers' proposed 861,866-square-foot Trident facility near E-470 and East 48th Avenue. Coffman called for a public hearing and City Council vote despite potential litigation from the developer, while roughly 100 residents protested the project and criticized the city's administrative approval process and lack of residential notification.
The project has preliminary approval in an industrial zone, where Aurora permits data centers without a public hearing when major adjustments are not required. Opponents cite potential diesel emissions, low-frequency noise, heat and impacts on nearby homes and schools. Trident says its generators would run only briefly, that it will use noise controls and a closed-loop cooling system, and that it will coordinate with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on air-quality protections.
Aurora rejected a six-month data center moratorium in August but adopted a rule banning new facilities from using large-scale evaporative cooling systems. Coffman said he may support an indefinite pause on new applications while the city develops revised guidelines, and residents continue to question the project's water demands amid regional drought conditions.