Trident data center asks Aurora for pause on new regs, moratorium as it scouts for new site

AURORA | The company behind the planned Trident data center, which has amassed huge opposition from neighbors, is asking the city to pause its proposed plans for a moratorium and new regulations for 90 days while it scouts potential other locations.

In a request to the council and Mayor Mike Coffman, Vantage Data Centers, which is developing the Trident facility, is asking the city to hold off on new regulations while the company exercises “due diligence” in looking for a new site. It requests a 90-day pause.

“In the spirit of being a constructive partner and working collaboratively, Vantage is going to evaluate the technical and operational feasibility of locating the data center on sites further from residentially zoned parcels, where appropriate opportunities may exist,” Matthew Clark, senior manager of public policy for Vantage, said in the letter. 

City lawmakers are scheduled to discuss a moratorium, as well as a residential buffer, at its study session and council meeting Monday. That discussion was postponed from last Monday after Coffman cancelled an emergency meeting, saying that he apparently would not have the votes to pass the moratorium.

The moratorium and residential buffer would likely not impact the Trident data center at its current location because the city has already accepted its application for development, according to city officials.

In its letter, Vantage says the moratorium and buffer could “hinder our efforts and lead to a negative outcome for both the residents of Aurora and Vantage.”

The letter adds that the Trident data center is designed to comply with current city regulations and land-use requirements. The data center is currently slated to be 860,000 square feet on East 48th Avenue, near the Windler and Green Valley Ranch neighborhoods.

“We continue to believe that preserving the integrity and predictability of zoning by-rights is essential to maintaining Aurora’s reputation as a community that respects property rights, provides certainty for investment, and supports responsible economic development,” Clark said.

In a social media post, Councilmember Curtis Gardner said he’s happy Vantage listened to neighbors’ concerns and is working to find a new location. Residents from Windler, Green Valley Ranch and the Reserve, a senior living community, have been extremely vocal at recent council meetings in their disapproval of Trident.

Gardner told the Sentinel he plans to ask his colleagues to delay voting on a moratorium in response to the request. 

“The reality is they have a use-by-right at the current location but they want to be good partners so I think we need to do the same and let the process play out,” Gardner said.

However, Coffman said he has no intention of adopting a pause.

“I do not support any delays in either enacting an indefinite moratorium on new data centers nor will I support any delays in adopting the necessary regulations that will ensure that we never have another Trident situation again,” Coffman said in an email to the Sentinel. 

Councilmember Amy Wiles, who is sponsoring the moratorium and residential buffer regulation, said she still supports a moratorium, noting it will not impact the Trident data center at its current location. Wiles said she feels the moratorium is needed to allow the council time to make smart regulatory decisions.

“We’re always just trying to keep up with what’s happening, and I think that (the changes) support why we need to pause and why we’re looking at these rules, because what’s true today may not be true tomorrow or next week or the week after, and so I think that’s the challenge,” Wiles said.

Wiles added that she anticipates the residential buffer will take longer than 90 days to implement, so it would not be an obstacle for Vantage.

The moratorium proposes a pause on accepting data center applications until the city has implemented new regulations, but does not provide a specific timeline. 

Meanwhile, the residential buffer zone is proposed to be up to 750 feet.

The buffer would prohibit data centers within 750 feet of homes or planned homes, as well as limit them to conditional use within 750 feet to a half-mile from residences. As a conditional use, data centers looking to build within the specified range will be required to have public hearings and approval is dependent on meeting certain requirements.

Under Wiles’ proposal, data centers would be a use by right if they were located in approved zoning and more than a half-mile from houses. As a use by right, data centers would go through an administrative approval process that does not typically require a public hearing.

Data centers would still be limited to certain zoning, including industrial and airport zoning, and the residential buffer would serve as an additional setback from residents.