COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO · DATA CENTERS
Colorado Springs council voted 7–2 on September 17 to postpone its Project Taurus decision until April 13, 2027, KRCC’s Briana Heaney reported. Three people were arrested during the contentious hearing.
Claim: Raeden’s co-owner told council that an existing local data center used 40 megawatts. Colorado Springs Utilities’ CEO said its largest current data-center customer used about six.
Check: That discrepancy matters when an applicant uses another facility as reassurance. A comparison should survive scrutiny before it becomes part of the case for approval.
Concern: Residents questioned low-frequency noise and whether enforcement provisions were specific enough. Those are substantive questions. Disrupting a hearing does not answer them, and disorder should not erase them.
Outcome: The decision was postponed, not a final rejection. The additional time creates an opportunity to clarify the evidence and obligations.
Location Decision takeaway
A credible development case needs accurate comparisons and enforceable commitments. Officials should protect orderly public participation; applicants should arrive with answers that can be checked. Threats and intimidation have no place in that process.
Original reporting: Briana Heaney, KRCC/Colorado Public Radio, September 17, 2026.