Aurora council to vote on ‘indefinite’ data center moratorium
Aurora City Council is scheduled to vote on an indefinite moratorium on new data center applications after residents opposed Vantage Data Centers’ proposed Trident complex in northeast Aurora. The project has preliminary administrative approval, while the city has already adopted a restriction banning new data centers from using large-scale evaporative cooling systems.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman announced a special City Council meeting to consider an indefinite pause on new data center applications. The proposal follows the council’s rejection of a six-month moratorium earlier in the year and growing resident opposition to Vantage Data Centers’ proposed 861,866-square-foot Trident facility near E-470 and East 48th Avenue.
Residents, including members of the Reserve at Green Valley Ranch community, have criticized the project’s proximity to homes and the lack of public outreach or notification. The Trident project has received preliminary administrative approval under Aurora’s industrial zoning rules, but pressure from residents and city officials may prompt Vantage to consider alternative Aurora sites. The city also adopted a rule on Sept. 15 prohibiting new data centers from using large-scale evaporative cooling systems.