Thornton City Council Enacts Data Center Moratorium
Thornton City Council has enacted a 6-12 month moratorium on new data center developments to allow time for staff to draft new regulations. This decision follows significant constituent concerns regarding the environmental impacts, noise, and resource consumption of these facilities. Google currently operates the city's only data center.
The Thornton City Council has voted to enact a 6-12 month moratorium on data center developments, responding to significant concerns from residents. The council, with most members backing the measure at their July 22 meeting, aims to provide city staff with sufficient time to review and draft comprehensive regulations for these facilities. Councilor Justin Martinez highlighted the widespread unpopularity of data centers and the current lack of regulatory 'guard rails' to address associated land use issues.
Concerns driving the moratorium include the substantial water and electricity consumption of data centers, their noise generation, and potential emissions. The city's staff report noted that water-cooled data centers can consume 100 million to 1.5 billion gallons annually, with none of it being recycled, unlike residential water use. While acknowledging the financial benefits and high-paying jobs data centers provide, council members like Chris Russell emphasized the need for safeguards, particularly in north Thornton.
Thornton follows other Colorado municipalities like Denver, Woodland Park, Broomfield, Jefferson County, Larimer County, Boulder County, and Longmont, which have all imposed various bans or moratoriums on data centers. Mayor Jan Kulmann and Councilmember Devin Byrd opposed the moratorium, arguing that existing rules are sufficient. However, Mayor Kulmann acknowledged the consensus to strengthen regulations for future data center proposals, aiming for clearer expectations for both the community and developers.
Currently, Google's 105,000-square-foot facility, operational since 2008, is Thornton's sole data center. No other projects are planned, but the moratorium will impact future development, particularly in light industrial and mixed-use zones.