Arvada council advances 18-month pause on primary-use data-center applications

The Arvada City Council voted unanimously Sept. 15 to advance an 18-month moratorium on submitting and accepting applications for facilities whose primary use is a data center. The first-reading vote was 6-0, with Mayor Lauren Simpson excused. A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 6:15 p.m., the council meeting record shows.

The proposed moratorium would apply to primary-use data-center facilities within Arvada city limits. The city says its current zoning, land-use and building codes do not treat data centers as a distinct land use. The pause would give officials time to develop standards addressing potential effects on the electric grid, utility rates, community resilience, the environment, setbacks, noise, water consumption and energy use, according to the city’s meeting recap.

The council also advanced four related ordinances on first reading:

• Annexation: CB26-025 would annex a 17.885-acre water-treatment-plant parcel, and CB26-026 would annex a second parcel of 9.016 acres. Both are at 6809 State Highway 93.

• Rezoning: CB26-027 would rezone the water-treatment-plant property from Jefferson County planned unit development to Arvada Open Space and amend the city’s zoning maps. The proposal includes an exception to the usual 35-foot height limit, allowing a facility up to 55 feet tall, the city says.

• Residential land use: CB26-028 would repeal and reenact the city’s residential-land-use table to remove the conditional-use-permit requirement for qualifying affordable-housing developments in Mixed Use districts. The change is intended to support Colorado Proposition 123’s expedited 90-day review requirement and protect the city’s eligibility for Proposition 123 funding.

The annexation and rezoning measures concern land the city purchased for a replacement water-treatment plant after a siting study. The city says the plant now serving the area is nearing the end of its useful life.