Aurora Data Center Battle: Council Votes 6-5 Against Moratorium Review

Aurora City Council members voted 6 to 5 Monday night to keep the rules that block a new data center moratorium from being debated.

The vote, which occurred just before midnight, failed to secure the seven votes required to suspend council rules and move forward with the discussion.

Council members Andrews, Bergen, Gardner, Hancock, and Lawson voted against the motion, while the other five voted in favor.

The failure to change the procedural rules means the council cannot currently discuss the indefinite pause on applications, a key demand of local residents.

The dispute centers on the Trident data center, a proposed 900,000-square-foot facility located near homes in Aurora and on the border with Denver.

Residents who waited hours to speak expressed frustration with the process, describing the situation as a colossal fiasco.

Ray Czaplewski, an Aurora resident, asked council leaders to reflect on how the current situation developed.

Nathan Lyon, a resident of southeast Aurora, questioned why the council would negate progress on residential water regulations without proper rules for mass water users like data centers.

Denver City Councilmember Stacie Gilmore also addressed the Aurora board, noting that there are currently zero laws to regulate data centers.

Homeowner Michael Llanos stated the community intends to keep pushing to keep the project away from their homes.

Mayor Coffman, who previously rejected a six-month moratorium as the tie-breaking vote, now supports an indefinite pause.

Coffman explained that he changed his mind after seeing the scale of the Trident proposal and the inadequacy of current regulations during the gap between debate and enactment of new rules.