Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 1:30 p.m. (Denver time), City & County Building, Room 391
The Community Planning and Housing Committee received an update on the City's data center regulation process, including the status of the one-year moratorium on new data center development (signed May 21), the selection of an outside facilitation team, and the launch of an open public application process for a data center working group (applications opening August 21, due September 4, first meeting planned for October 9). Sponsors acknowledged the moratorium will likely need to be extended beyond May 2027. Members asked about working group composition, budget (just over $400,000 from the Climate Protection Fund), engagement in environmentally burdened neighborhoods, and treatment of the data center currently under construction (which is not affected by the moratorium but would face new rules for future buildings). The committee also heard a rezoning action item for two parcels at 3418 West 14th Avenue and 1371 North Julian Street (church property in West Colfax), recommended for approval by CPD staff, with questions about height incentives, protected-district standards, and neighborhood outreach; a motion carried it through committee toward a public hearing.
0:06 Welcome back to this weekly
0:07 meeting of the community
0:08 Planning and Housing Committee
0:10 with Denver City Council.
0:14 Your Community Planning and
0:17 Housing Committee starts now.
0:27 The afternoon, everybody who
0:31 coming to community planning
0:35 housing. You cut me meeting
0:38 today AUGUST 18th and I'm
0:40 COUNCILMAN Man have the honor
0:43 of chairing we have great
0:48 agenda We something that my
0:49 colleagues have asked for this
0:51 to come before us and then one
0:55 action item time her. For
0:57 that, we'll get started from
0:58 scratch there. Introductions
1:01 affect Good afternoon. Answer
1:01 to survive. Good afternoon,
1:04 Campbell, Southeastern
1:05 purchased reports. It happened
1:07 under a Watson Fine District.
1:12 9 and afternoon, Paula Pashman
1:13 Soft and British troops credit
1:14 to be just like district Jamie
1:20 Torres was 3 great. So we have
1:20 update to the data center
1:22 breaking count think you comes
1:26 Write hey, everybody said
1:27 Gonzalez could get as council
1:31 member at large Thank Surely
1:34 have great agenda. Pass it
1:37 over to my colleague Good
1:38 afternoon. Thank you,
1:39 colleagues. Thank Committee
1:40 chair Cent of for critics
1:44 based on today's agenda for
1:45 briefing on data centers
1:47 provide the update on data
1:47 centers as we the status of
1:49 the creation of the working
1:51 group. Our plan, community
1:53 engagement process. And then
1:55 our next steps and we look
1:57 forward answering questions
1:58 from you and providing to the
2:01 community here in the room as
2:02 well as community members on
2:03 viewing online. Some
2:05 background information that is
2:06 absolutely necessary. And
2:07 we're looking forward to doing
2:09 that. I want to start first by
2:10 thanking City Department's
2:11 supporting this process
2:13 throughout the mayor's office,
2:14 especially Victoria, who's not
2:16 here and I hope you're feeling
2:18 better for facilitating a
2:20 planning process. Apartment
2:23 leads and the mayor's office
2:24 are here and available data
2:25 the co chairs are console
2:28 co-sponsors of this would
2:28 answer questions. I want to
2:29 thank the community members
2:33 that are here and the chambers
2:36 as well as those online and
2:36 those who have been providing
2:39 continued feedback throughout.
2:42 I want to turn this over to
2:44 pro. Tem can for some comments
2:44 and then to counter Cashman to
2:49 kick off the presentation.
2:49 Thank you so much,
2:50 Councilmember Watson. I do
2:53 want to thank both you and
2:54 COUNCILMAN Cashman the
2:55 partnership and work that we
2:58 have been doing leading up to
3:00 this update. I'm grateful how
3:04 far we have gotten so far and
3:05 the fact that we're going to
3:05 provide, I think these very
3:06 important updates for the
3:09 public and for our colleagues.
3:10 So they kind of know what's
3:13 coming up next. And the last
3:14 thing I'll just say to preface
3:16 the presentation today is that
3:20 we realize that although it's
3:23 a a one-year moratorium, you
3:24 know, we are prepared and we
3:25 know and COUNCILMAN Cashman
3:28 said this from the beginning
3:30 is that if it it's going to
3:31 take as long as it needs to
3:32 take and because we want to do
3:33 the work and want to do it the
3:35 right way. And so I really
3:36 value everyone that has been
3:39 part of this process. And
3:40 thank you to COUNCILMAN Watson
3:43 and COUNCILMAN Cashman for
3:46 doing that lifting today and
3:46 and presenting since I am
3:47 virtual. It just will bake
3:49 more sense for them too. Walk
3:50 through the slides with
3:51 everybody, but I will be here
3:53 and will be available for
3:54 questions as well and to
3:55 assist my colleagues. Thank
3:58 you so much. Thank you,
4:02 COUNCILMAN. Those contends.
4:07 Next slide, As you can see, we
4:11 50 data centers in Denver from
4:14 the smaller size clay. Large 5
4:17 of the used entirely status
4:23 honors and others are
4:29 secondary We next line, ok,
4:30 and need pay attention at You
4:34 become that data centers in
4:35 Denver have no regulation and
4:39 data centers anywhere have a
4:43 large community impact the
4:46 enormous electricity use that
4:49 data centers can consume
4:51 enormous water used a variety
4:52 of other health pollution
4:55 concerns, noise and so on as
4:59 well as basic everyday zoning,
5:00 you know, is is always say
5:02 there's we build 20 story.
5:04 Buildings are larger downtown,
5:07 but we don't build them
5:08 everywhere. There MAY be a
5:10 spot for data centers, but
5:11 it's not going to be
5:12 everywhere. So we need to pay
5:16 attention to that. And this
5:17 body voted through a
5:20 moratorium and middle of MAY
5:21 MAY 18th and council goes. I
5:23 chair has pointed out. It's a
5:27 one-year moratorium. But as
5:28 the court meeting committee
5:30 that's been working to put
5:31 together. The working group
5:34 has decided it's starting to
5:35 look like the proposed cadence
5:36 of meetings. He's not going to
5:40 get done within that one year.
5:42 So it's increasingly likely at
5:43 some point will be coming to
5:47 the full body to recommend
5:50 continuation the moratorium
5:54 and not moratorium was signed
5:58 on. MAY 21st. So as of MAY,
6:02 2027 until that date, at least
6:05 on new data center development
6:09 and construction is If there
6:13 are plans process that has
6:14 been permanently, they will be
6:18 allowed to proceed. Slide,
6:28 please. Some the coordinating
6:33 led Kiser director Liz Babcock
6:39 hired a facilitation group.
6:40 Couple organizations, group of
6:41 14 engineering and civic
6:44 consulting collaborative
6:46 together. They will lead the
6:50 working group process and they
6:52 I believe online. I'm not sure
6:54 if we have anyone in the
6:56 audience audience from
6:57 consultants, but they're
7:00 available to answer questions.
7:01 Council Watson much take it
7:03 from Thank you so much.
7:04 Councilmember Cashman on the
7:05 working group to provide a
7:07 little bit of background we
7:08 share that sent the last
7:08 committee meeting. But we
7:09 wanted to make sure we
7:11 repeated during this meeting
7:12 and a working group will
7:16 include the 3 council sponsors
7:17 of them are Torrance. And as
7:20 councilmember Cashman Pro Tem,
7:24 Gonzaga tears folks from the
7:26 Utilities, Xcel Energy Union
7:28 members, industry wraps
7:29 advocacy groups and community
7:30 members as well as subject
7:33 matter experts and what we're
7:35 to find a subject matter.
7:36 Experts with city staff
7:38 playing a supporting role. We
7:40 want to also be very clear as
7:41 the city council member that
7:43 represents district 9 and the
7:46 center that's being built
7:48 currently in the city is and
7:49 go pillars want we are going
7:52 to focus to ensure that
7:54 community participation on
7:56 board reflects the geographic
7:57 impacts on gs as far as the
7:58 number of folks from that are
8:00 going to be committee members
8:04 on that working group, not the
8:07 board council mayor's office
8:08 and city staff will initially
8:09 recommends specific working
8:12 group members and that
8:14 recommendation has been made
8:15 already. Then also what we're
8:19 going to do is send out an
8:20 application to community
8:22 community members can apply,
8:22 including initial folks that
8:25 were all identified through
8:27 first step process that began
8:29 in MAY. So community members
8:30 will be able to have an
8:32 opportunity to apply to be a
8:36 part of this working It's our
8:37 expectation to have a clear
8:39 list who the members of this
8:41 working group in by OCTOBER to
8:44 the latest we'll have more
8:45 specifics and once again be
8:46 consultants that we hired and
8:47 we wanted to make sure we had
8:51 a consulting group, someone
8:53 outside of the city, someone
8:56 outside of the mayor's office
8:58 outside of City Council.
8:59 Actually going through leading
9:00 of facilitating that
9:01 application process. We
9:02 thought that was important.
9:03 They have a criteria for how
9:06 their son we will be selecting
9:07 and its election group. That's
9:10 going to be doing that. But we
9:12 look forward to Our focus is
9:13 to ensure an equitable
9:14 process. And so the open
9:17 public call for applications
9:17 on will begin to to provoke,
9:18 to serve. And a data center
9:20 working group and will launch
9:24 this AUGUST. 21st. So more
9:26 information will be provided
9:27 on that announcement found out
9:28 today. Applications will be
9:32 doing by SEPTEMBER 4. That is
9:33 awesome. So the application
9:34 will be by SEPTEMBER 4th with
9:38 expectation that we will have
9:38 clear list of working group
9:39 members within next several
9:45 Thank you, sir. And the
9:45 weeks after that. Next slide.
9:46 working group will focus some
9:49 of these topics as high level.
9:50 Obviously there other impacts
9:51 from data centers on that.
9:53 We're going to look at based
9:55 on the folks on the working
9:55 group. But at a very high
9:57 level, we're going to look at
9:58 obviously public health
10:01 impacts direct impacts,
10:01 community, health community
10:05 whether it's physical,
10:06 geography, location,
10:06 proximity, climate goals. We
10:08 have an amazing team of folks
10:09 here with city and county of
10:10 Denver has been providing us
10:12 direction on this thus far and
10:14 it will continue to provide us
10:17 direction, fair utility costs.
10:18 We're going to continue
10:20 working with on excel on on
10:21 utility to ensure that this
10:24 process looking at impacts to
10:25 communities and their data
10:26 centers that they're not
10:28 adversely impacted by utility
10:29 costs are changes, technology
10:31 needs. So we'll have folks on
10:34 the working group can speak
10:35 technology needs and then
10:36 additional development
10:39 question. So we expect to have
10:41 a wide range of individuals
10:43 from lived. Experience to
10:43 professional experience on
10:46 this working group providing
10:47 direct feedback to the team
10:49 with the expectation that we
10:52 will help build regulation
10:52 over that 12 month process on
10:54 that we have for that 12 month
10:57 moratorium. The working group
10:58 will pay special attention to
11:00 vulnerable communities and
11:01 adversely impacted community.
11:02 So we're gonna have an equity
11:03 lens as we identify the folks
11:09 that are working group and
11:10 lens throughout this process.
11:12 The goal is to review and
11:14 process proposed updates,
11:16 Denver's zoning and municipal
11:18 codes, building an energy
11:18 Sanders and other city
11:20 policies. So there is material
11:22 outcome of this working group.
11:23 As we celebrate those voices,
11:26 we want to make sure at the
11:27 end we have a regulatory
11:28 environment within city county
11:29 of Denver to regulate when
11:31 where and how data centers can
11:34 be Public participation all
11:35 share this a high level. Once
11:36 again, believe the consultants
11:39 or online at they're not. We
11:40 have members from the city
11:43 that can speak just to deeper
11:43 in today's criteria. But the
11:44 city is launching several ways
11:45 for community members to get
11:46 involved and make their voices
11:47 heard throughout the process.
11:48 The open call, as we just
11:51 described as being sent out by
11:53 the end of this month about
11:54 public participation at
11:55 virtual and in-person meetings
11:59 and there will be in town
12:00 halls job committee members to
12:01 attend throughout as They'll
12:03 be a website dedicated to
12:05 best. They'll be on
12:06 communication and everything
12:08 will be with language access,
12:10 so be in English and Spanish,
12:11 primarily and obviously with
12:11 throughout the city, we have
12:14 the ability to translate the
12:15 language what have designated
12:16 email to capture community
12:19 feedback. So folks communicate
12:20 directly back to an email if
12:21 they're not able to
12:22 participate in-person or
12:23 virtual that some of those
12:26 touch points. As I stated
12:27 language, justice
12:28 interpretation can sure all
12:31 voices are and it will publish
12:32 a draft policy recommendations
12:34 for public comment. Obviously
12:35 the regulatory process will go
12:36 to regular city council
12:38 process, which means we'll
12:40 come back. The city at the end
12:42 of this process and throughout
12:46 to make sure we have the full
12:49 vetting of the possible go
12:50 through the City Council
12:52 Whenever that process through
12:56 the end of MAY more longer, if
12:58 we have to prolong spot the
12:59 process. We are not trying
13:03 finish by a certain date time.
13:04 We have 12 month moratorium
13:06 but we will go on till we are
13:08 completed until we have a
13:09 regulatory architecture that
13:10 we think is ready for the
13:12 Florida ready for City Council
13:14 to debate high levels.
13:16 Timeline we had initial
13:17 discussion about data centers
13:20 back in OCTOBER 2024. In it,
13:21 Johnson wrecked center and I
13:23 won't go each of these, but we
13:24 wanted to put a few of the
13:26 touch points that we've had
13:28 thus far within process. And
13:31 then we are here today
13:32 presenting before this
13:34 committee with the hope and
13:35 expectation to begin the
13:38 process. A call for working
13:38 group members going up at the
13:42 end of this month. Immediate
13:43 next steps we're going to
13:44 Denver. Gov dot Org. Data
13:46 centers, backslash data
13:49 centers. That will be a
13:50 website that will hold all of
13:53 the information. All the input
13:54 all around data center. Folks
13:55 have a one-stop shop to look
13:59 and check on around. Data
14:00 centers were going shoot the
14:02 open call for public
14:05 applications or begin
14:05 collecting community feedback
14:08 and questions. And we're ready
14:09 collecting information right
14:09 now. So folks are provided
14:11 feedback on data centers. That
14:12 information is going to be
14:13 continued collecting. And
14:14 that's by the end of AUGUST by
14:18 the end of OCTOBER, will
14:18 select finalize announce a
14:19 working group members host a
14:20 public meeting with working
14:22 group members and launch more
14:25 resources and ways for public
14:26 participation. Lots of
14:27 information and I appreciate
14:29 everyone's attention. Turned
14:31 over to co-sponsors. See,
14:32 there's any last thoughts then
14:35 open up for any questions that
14:38 folks Thank you. I let me pass
14:41 it on the of scooter as first.
14:42 See if pro time. Do you have