Proposed regulations to city construction sites pass committee reading Monday
A proposed Cheyenne ordinance advancing from the Public Services Committee would impose stricter construction-site noise, setback, lighting and cleanup requirements. It would also require utility-capacity verification, water-use reporting and approval for certain wastewater discharges, while banning evaporative cooling systems for future data centers in favor of closed-loop systems.
The Cheyenne Public Services Committee voted 2-1 to advance amendments to the city’s Unified Development Code to the City Council. The proposed rules would establish construction noise limits, require detailed site plans and neighborhood setbacks, mandate financial guarantees for site cleanup, regulate temporary lighting and workforce housing, and require developers to document water, sewer, electric and gas capacity before site-plan approval.
The ordinance also addresses data center development after a contractor at Meta’s Cheyenne data center construction site discharged bacteria-infected water into the city’s wastewater system. It would require Board of Public Utilities approval for construction fill-and-flush or glycol-impacted wastewater discharges and prohibit inefficient evaporative cooling systems for future data centers. Sponsor Mark Rinne said the measure codifies practices already being used, while Councilor Pete Laybourn argued the city was moving too quickly without enough technical input from developers and the construction industry. The proposal is scheduled for a City Council reading before any final vote.