Aurora residents push for moratorium after company plans to build data center nearby

Residents in one Aurora neighborhood hope an upcoming discussion will lead to a moratorium on new data centers and, eventually, guidelines that prevent them from being built next to residential areas.

The City of Aurora will meet on Monday, October 19, to discuss whether to stop further data center construction. This is after Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman announced on Facebook that he is calling for a "Special Council Meeting for Vote on Indefinite Data Center Moratorium."

In August, Aurora Councilmember Amy Wiles proposed a similar moratorium on new data center construction. She said she isn't opposed to building data centers in the city, but she has concerns about where they are being built.

"The main issue that I have is the way that the current zoning is; it does allow data centers to be built right next to neighborhoods. And that, unfortunately, is a miss," said Wiles.

Ultimately, however, her proposal was not passed by city council.

Around the same time, Wiles held a town hall meeting in The Reserve, a 55+ active adult community in Aurora. She warned them that a data center named "Project Trident" was being built right next to their homes.

Reserve resident Tara Miller wasn't at that meeting but learned about the Project Trident data center construction plan at a wine tasting her neighbor hosted.

"They had a view in their backyard of the open space, and somebody said, 'Right across there is where they're going to put the data center.' And I said, 'Seriously?' I thought she was kidding," said Miller

She says she has a lot of concerns about how the center will affect her family and their neighbors, including air, water and noise pollution. And her concern is not only for her neighbors in Aurora. Right across the street from The Reserve is a neighborhood that is in Denver.

"They're immediately across the street, less than a mile from a data center," said Miller. "They have no say because they're in Denver. And the City of Denver says, 'Nothing we can do about that.'"

So, Miller and her neighbors created a non-profit called joinunite.org to push back against the development.

"We have a lot of people looking into the research side of this. We also have people going door to door giving out fliers," said Miller.

It appears to have raised further awareness of the community's concerns. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, who voted against the initial moratorium, announced on Facebook that he is calling for a special council meeting to vote on an indefinite data center moratorium. Councilmember Rob Andrews, who also voted against Wiles's first proposal, says data centers should not be built in neighborhoods and that the company building Project Trident may reconsider the location of its data center.

"I have it on good authority that Vantage is actively working and looking at other sites away from existing residential neighborhoods," said Andrews on Facebook.

Wiles says she thinks neighbors' efforts have changed minds.

"Any changes that happen are solely because of the work that the community did," said Wiles on Facebook.

Miller says she hopes the city council will pass a new moratorium on Monday.

"I wish the moratorium had passed the first time," said Miller.

But any moratorium passed now wouldn't stop construction of Project Trident. Miller says her work isn't done because, even if some say Project Trident may move, she needs to hear it from the company building it.

"I'm not holding my breath until I get it in writing. We've been lied to before," said Miller.