Planning Commission rejects appeals of proposed data center
The Colorado Springs Planning Commission rejected appeals against a proposed artificial-intelligence data center by Raeden, allowing Project Taurus to proceed with four conditions. The decision followed a lengthy session with significant community opposition citing environmental, noise, power, and water concerns. Residents are still pushing for a data center moratorium in the city.
The Colorado Springs Planning Commission voted 6-2 to reject appeals against Project Taurus, a proposed artificial-intelligence data center by California-based company Raeden, off Garden of the Gods Road. The commission allowed the project to proceed, imposing four conditions on the company.
The decision came after a lengthy session that saw over 100 residents speak in opposition, citing environmental concerns, noise, and extensive power and water usage. Environmental groups, such as Green Latinos, raised concerns about the data center's closed-loop cooling system potentially using "forever chemicals" like PFAS, linking it to broader environmental justice issues and past contamination incidents in the area, such as those caused by Peterson Space Force Base. Supporters of the project highlighted the economic benefits, including 600 temporary construction jobs and increased annual property tax revenue for School District 11 from the refurbishment of an old, abandoned Intel building.
Despite the commission's decision, residents continue to press for a citywide data center moratorium, arguing a pause is necessary to fully understand the costs and impacts of hyperscale data centers on the community. Raeden CEO Jason Green stated the facility would have a one-time water use of 200,000 gallons, employing a closed-loop cooling system.