Aurora councilwoman looks to put a pause on new data centers as city considers regulations
Aurora Ward II City Councilmember Amy Wiles says she wants a pause on the approval of new data centers while the city develops policies on how to handle them.
Aurora is home to Colorado's largest data center and has five more already approved for construction. Wiles says that while Aurora has a lot of potential to host data centers, she wants the city to take more time in approving them.
"We have so much land, particularly in Ward II, that, as other cities say, 'We don't want data centers,' they're all going to come to Aurora," said Wiles.
That's why at Monday's city council meeting she's introducing an ordinance and resolution to establish a six-month moratorium on new data centers.
The current zoning for data centers in Aurora allows them to be built next to homes and schools. Also, Wiles says data centers can have significant impacts on water resources and power infrastructure where they are built. She says she doesn't mind data centers being built in Aurora, but she wants to make sure her constituents are protected.
"We owe it to them to put ourselves in their shoes. And I have to ask myself, 'Would I want a data center in my backyard?' My answer is no. And so, I have to be respectful of my community members who are also like, 'Hey, I don't want it in my backyard,'" said Wiles.
She says this isn't a ban on data centers, just a temporary pause so the city can develop policies to regulate them.
Brenda and Eric Pierce live in Ward II next to the site where a future data center will be built. The couple says they don't necessarily mind having a data center as a neighbor.
"I think it depends on how good a neighbor they're going to be, right? Are they going to do sound mitigation, or are they going to do a closed-loop system for water use?" said Brenda Pierce. "I think they're a necessary evil, I guess is a good way to put it. Everyone uses a data center, whether they realize it or not."
But they, like Wiles, think the city should have a solid policy regulating data centers, even if it takes a minute to figure out what that is.
"Just to make sure that our ordinances are catching up with the industry as it is right now," said Brenda Pierce.
"And headed in the right direction for the future," added Eric Pierce.
Aurora already has taken some steps to conserve water. New data centers must use a closed-loop cooling system that uses less water. Wiles says that for future regulations, she has talked to other municipalities that have data centers about what worked for them and what didn't, including Loudoun County, Virginia, which is often called the data center capital of the world.
