Arapahoe County plans review of data center rules
The Sept. 22 study session will examine zoning, utility capacity and potential standards for facilities in unincorporated areas.
Arapahoe County commissioners plan to begin reviewing data center rules Sept. 22, including where facilities could be built in unincorporated areas and how officials should assess their power, water, noise, traffic and fiscal effects.
The study session is scheduled as an informational briefing, not a vote on an ordinance. Staff from the Commissioners’ Office and Public Works and Development are expected to outline regulatory questions before a planned Sept. 25 facility tour. A more focused discussion is scheduled for Oct. 6.
The county’s study-session materials say data centers are not currently listed as a permitted use in unincorporated Arapahoe County. Under the county Land Development Code, uses that are not listed or reasonably similar to a listed use are generally excluded from a zoning district. The zoning administrator may determine that an unlisted use is sufficiently similar and consistent with the district’s purpose.
The county’s zoning rules apply primarily to unincorporated land, not to incorporated cities such as Aurora, Centennial, Greenwood Village and Englewood. The county materials say existing data centers in incorporated Aurora, Centennial and Greenwood Village have generally been regulated through industrial, commercial or office categories.
Staff has not proposed a specific ordinance, moratorium or other policy. The presentation raises questions about whether larger facilities should receive additional review, what applicants should show about utility capacity, and whether the county should establish standards for noise, screening, lighting and setbacks. It also identifies water supplies and cooling systems, backup generators, traffic and access, building scale, security, wildlife and natural resources, staffing, expansion plans and fiscal effects as issues for review.
The county materials identify 15 data centers in Arapahoe County’s incorporated cities and 12 more just south of County Line Road in Douglas County. They also cite at least 57 facilities operating or under construction statewide, including 45 in the Denver metro area.
The review will consider conditions at operating facilities as commissioners weigh potential regulations. The scheduled sessions do not establish a county policy or final action.