Council removes two parcels from Land Management Process; Townsite Solar 2 withdraws local application

The Boulder City Council recorded the withdrawal of Townsite Solar 2's (TS 2) application to add data‑center uses to an 88.5‑acre LMP parcel and approved two separate resolutions removing other parcels from the Land Management Process list.

Deputy City Manager Michael Mays explained the LMP sequence to the council and the public: an applicant submits an initial application that is advanced to the Planning Commission for a public hearing, which then returns a recommendation to the council. Mays said TS 2 had initially sought data‑center consideration for an 88.5‑acre site near the I‑11/US‑95 interchange, but that the company withdrew the local application on July 3, 2026.

After extended public testimony—mostly opposing any data‑center uses—the council voted to record the withdrawal of LMP 26‑03 (Townsite Solar site) and to approve two resolutions to remove the Elite RV/cabin rental site (resolution 81‑61) and the grocery‑store site (resolution 81‑62) from the LMP list. Both resolutions passed unanimously.

Multiple residents told the council they would prefer a permanent prohibition or a voter referendum on data‑center approvals. Councilmembers discussed the difference between adding a parcel to the LMP list (a procedural step that does not in itself confer property rights) and later land‑use approvals requiring leases, appraisals and possible ballot measures. Staff noted that by code parcels not sold or leased within three years return to council for reconsideration.

The council's motions concluded that TS 2's withdrawal effectively ended local LMP consideration for that parcel but did not eliminate federal processes on adjacent BLM land, which the council later addressed via resolution 81‑63 (an authorization to appeal the BLM decision).