Data Center City Council Appeal Plan
A data center project on the west side of Colorado Springs, known as Project Taurus, is facing an appeal before the City Council after initial approval and subsequent rejection of an appeal by the Planning Commission. Local opposition is actively campaigning against the project, raising concerns about electricity usage, while the developer defends the project's compliance with code.
The future of a proposed data center on the west side of Colorado Springs is heading to the City Council for a final decision following an appeal. The project, known as Project Taurus, initially received approval from the City Planning department, but an appeal by opponents was subsequently rejected by the Planning Commission. Now, the City Council will hear the second appeal.
Opposition groups, described as a grassroots movement, have been actively working to gather public support against the data center, citing concerns about its potential contribution to pollution and climate change, especially given its proximity to neighborhoods. They also claim the developer, responsible for the "R Development Plan," misrepresented its power usage based on an open records request to Colorado Springs Utilities.
The developer maintains that the site, a former computer chip manufacturing facility, is already zoned and entitled for a data center and that their plan meets all codes, supporting 50 megawatts of computing capacity. They accuse the opposition of using "half-truths" and escalating the conflict, even deploying a moving billboard. The developer also stated that the power usage data cited by opponents was part of a site investigation for potential ranges, not the final approved plan. The City Council's decision is imminent.