Boulder City Voters to Decide Whether to Allow Data Centers in Eldorado Valley
Boulder City voters will decide whether to allow data centers as a permitted land use in part of the Eldorado Valley Transfer Area. Supporters say the measure could diversify city revenue, while opponents cite potential strain on electricity and water resources, habitat disruption, noise and traffic.
Boulder City voters are scheduled to decide a ballot question on whether data center facilities should become an approved land use on city-owned land in the Eldorado Valley Transfer Area, outside a multispecies habitat conservation easement. Approval would not authorize a specific project; future proposals would still undergo the city’s land-use and leasing review process.
Supporters argue data centers could provide a new source of revenue as some solar leases expire and existing solar facilities are decommissioned. Opponents question whether the city would reject data center lease proposals and warn that large facilities could increase electricity demand, compete for scarce water, disturb desert tortoise habitat, and bring additional noise, traffic and visual impacts. The article also notes that data centers have been proposed on nearby Henderson and Bureau of Land Management land.