Aurora City Council delays vote on proposed data center moratorium
The Aurora City Council voted against reconsidering an indefinite moratorium on new data center applications, with the motion failing by one vote after a meeting that lasted past midnight. Mayor Kaufman said the council may revisit the proposal on Nov. 9, while residents continue to oppose new projects over concerns about health, noise, pollution, electricity use and water consumption.
The Aurora City Council declined to reconsider an indefinite moratorium on new data center applications, with the motion failing by one vote after an extended meeting at the Aurora Municipal Center. The proposed pause would prevent the city from accepting new applications while officials develop regulations, including potential requirements governing distances between data centers and residential neighborhoods. Mayor Kaufman said the issue could return at the council's regularly scheduled Nov. 9 meeting.
The debate follows the city's approval of the Trident data center near E-470 and East 48th Avenue. That project would not be covered by the proposed moratorium, although its developer said it would consider other locations in Aurora. Residents who spoke at the meeting urged officials to halt additional development, citing potential health effects, noise, air pollution, electricity demand and water consumption. The city attorney said a move to another location would be treated as an amended application rather than a new one.