Boulder City council puts question to voters on whether data centers may be added to El Dorado Valley

Boulder City’s council voted to send a ballot question to voters asking whether data centers should be added to the list of uses permitted in the El Dorado Valley transfer area.

Deputy City Manager Michael Maize told the council the city charter limits uses in that transfer area but allows the registered voters to approve additional uses; the draft question would let the public decide whether the non‑residential pink parcels shown on the city map could include data‑center facilities. Maize emphasized the measure would not itself approve any specific project, only add the use to what may be allowed there.

The question followed hours of public comment from residents who objected to data centers on environmental and utility grounds. ‘‘I am against this land‑use update to the El Dorado Valley transfer area due to the impact that data centers have on surrounding communities,’’ resident David Ellert told the council during public comment, citing concerns about water use, noise and electricity demand.

Council members and staff noted practical limits on development in the transfer area. Maize noted about 86,000 acres of the transfer area are subject to a multi‑species conservation easement and therefore unavailable for development; the remaining land is limited and much of it already in solar or energy storage use. Staff also said the city controls lease terms on its owned parcels and could write conditions — including requirements about cooling technology, water sources or separate power feeds — to protect resident utility rates and resources.

Supporters of placing the question on the ballot framed it as a financial and policy choice. Several council members said the economy of land leases has changed and that, where a data center can occupy a smaller footprint than a large solar field, lease revenue per acre can be substantially higher, potentially funding city programs without raising property taxes.

The council approved Resolution 8099 to place the question on the ballot; the motion passed with one member recorded as opposed. Staff said the measure will appear on a future election ballot and that, if voters approve it, the council would still review any project through the city’s land‑use and permitting processes.

What happens next: City staff will finalize ballot language and an election date. Any future data‑center project in the El Dorado transfer area would still require lease agreements and normal planning, environmental review and development permits, and the council stressed that specific project conditions could be written into those agreements.