Cheyenne council committee backs Orchard Hills data center, recommends overruling Planning Commission

The Cheyenne City Council's Public Services Committee has given its backing to the proposed 162-acre Orchard Hills data center development, recommending approval for several key items and effectively moving to overrule the city's Planning Commission.

The committee's decisions included approving the annexation of the land, amending the city's official zoning map from agricultural to light industrial, and overturning the Planning Commission's denial of a future land-use map amendment. The Planning Commission had voted on Sept. 8 to recommend denial of changing the land-use map from Mixed-Use Residential to Mixed-Use Employment and rezoning from agricultural to light industrial.

Representatives from the Dallas-based Trammell Crow Company, the developer behind the project, argued the property is better suited for industrial use due to its proximity to an existing Meta data center, railroad tracks, and electrical infrastructure. Attorney Cindy DeLancey, speaking for Trammell, stated that the zone change would not significantly impact Cheyenne's future housing supply and that a data center would generate less traffic than residential development. Some residents, like Ross Gensel, supported the data center, citing concerns about noise, traffic, and crime associated with high-density housing.

However, other residents questioned the committee's decision to disregard the Planning Commission's recommendations. While the committee voted to recommend approval for most items, a final consideration for the land-use amendment was postponed to align with the annexation process. All five items related to the development will now go before the full City Council for further deliberation.