Colorado Springs Planning Commission rejects resident appeals to stop proposed data center
The Colorado Springs Planning Commission has rejected resident appeals against a proposed artificial-intelligence data center by Raeden, allowing the project, known as Project Taurus, to proceed with four conditions. Residents, concerned about environmental impacts, noise, and utility use, are considering further challenges and have called for a data center moratorium. The project is supported for its economic benefits and reuse of an abandoned building.
The Colorado Springs Planning Commission voted 6-2 to reject appeals filed by residents against Raeden's proposed artificial-intelligence data center, known as Project Taurus, near Garden of the Gods Road. Despite the rejection, residents have 10 days to challenge the decision.
The commission approved the project with four conditions for Raeden, including limiting utility use to 50 megawatts, requiring further approval to exceed this, furnishing a corrected building plan sheet, and modifying its sound-monitoring plan to include "dB(C) monitoring in the same fashion as dB(A) monitoring and reporting.
Opposition from over 100 residents centered on environmental concerns, noise pollution, and the project's power and water demands. Ean Tafoya, vice president of state programs for Green Latinos, raised concerns about the use of "forever chemicals" like PFAS in the data center's closed-loop cooling system, linking it to a "supply chain of suffering" and past contamination events involving Peterson Space Force Base. Raeden CEO Jason Green stated the closed-loop system would have a one-time water use of 200,000 gallons.
Supporters highlighted the economic benefits, including 600 temporary union construction jobs and ongoing maintenance roles. Former City Councilmember Tim Leigh and an economic impact report commissioned by Raeden project significant annual property tax revenue for School District 11, though District 11 staff clarified they have not independently verified these figures. Residents like Kate Kent continue to press for a data center moratorium, urging the city to pause and understand the full costs of a hyperscale data center on the community.