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Residents urge delay as council advances data‑center inquiry to planning commission
Summary
After extensive public comment raising water, energy and public‑health concerns, Boulder City Council voted unanimously to add an 88.5‑acre Townsite Solar 2 parcel to the city's Land Management Process and send the proposal to the Planning Commission for further study and public hearings; the vote does not approve a data center or bind future council actions.
A majority of speakers at Tuesday's Boulder City Council meeting urged elected officials to delay any approval related to a proposed data center, citing large water and electricity demands, potential heat and air‑quality impacts, and missing technical details. The council, however, voted unanimously to advance Townsite Solar 2 LLC's application into the city's Land Management Process and forward it to the Planning Commission for additional review.
Why it matters: The Land Management Process is an early, nonbinding step that allows staff, the Planning Commission and the council to evaluate new uses for city‑owned land. Council and staff emphasized it does not entitle the applicant to rezoning, leases or construction; those would require separate approvals and public hearings.
Residents pressed the council with numerical comparisons and health warnings. "Please do not approve adding data centers to this LMP application until after the November election," said David Eller, who identified himself as a Boulder City resident, urging the council to give voters an opportunity to weigh in. Bridal Delormier told the council the applicant's energy calculations in the packet were "off by a factor of 1,000," saying "the correct figures are in the thousands of gigawatt hours annually, not single digits as stated." Troy Patrick Farrell, another resident, described the proposal as "approximately 300 megawatts continuous or over 2,600 gigawatt hours per year" and warned the facility could consume up to "650,000 gallons per day of treated waste," nearly half of the city's current output.
Supporters of further study said the motion preserves the council's ability to scrutinize technical and policy questions. Deputy City Manager Michael Mays and other staff noted the parcel is zoned for energy resources (solar/battery) and that allowing data centers would require rezoning or a code amendment. Mayor Joe Hardy and other council members repeatedly told the public that adding the parcel to the Land Management Process does not commit the city to any negotiated terms.
What comes next: The Planning Commission will evaluate zoning options, conditions, and feasibility analyses; staff indicated additional studies and public hearings would follow. Councilmember S9 moved to forward the item to the Planning Commission (seconded by S4); the motion passed unanimously.
The council and staff said they will consider transmission capacity, wastewater handling and independent technical reviews as part of the next steps. No final entitlements, leases or construction approvals were made at Tuesday's meeting.
