AURORA | City officials are planning what they’re calling a “data center town hall” meeting later this month to start a community discussion about how to address the developments.

City Councilmember Amy Wiles will hold the meeting 6 p.m. June 29 at the Aurora Central Library with the assistance of representatives from the city water department and Xcel Energy, as well as a data center spokesperson. 

Wiles told the Sentinel that residents have requested that she push for a data center moratorium, but she said she wants to have community engagement on the topic before proposing policy. Wiles said the purpose of the meeting is to “hear concerns as well as share facts about current processes and restrictions.”

The meeting was called to address general concerns about data centers and is not linked to any pending project, according to Wiles and the meeting announcement.

“My ward is the most likely location for future data centers, and we ran on a community-first platform which means we need to listen to the community on any concerns while we evaluate our policy for these businesses,” Wiles said in an email.

As of June 16, the agenda for the town hall hadn’t been finalized yet. 

Aurora already has five data centers, including the QTS Aurora Campus on Gun Club Road and the Flexential site near Cherry Creek Reservoir, according to the Data Center Map. 

In May, the Denver City Council unanimously approved a moratorium on data centers for up to a year while the city establishes new regulations for development. Denver currently has no zoning rules specific to data centers, as well as no energy or water regulations for the facilities.

According to 9News, Denver’s council passed the moratorium after significant community pushback over the CoreSite DE3 data center under construction in Elyria-Swansea. Neighbors raised concerns about the site’s water usage and the potential impacts to air quality.

Read more Cubs score 7 runs in the 2nd inning and get homers from Swanson and PCA in 8-6 win over Rockies

Read more U.S. lifts blockade of Iran and Iranian supreme leader endorses direct talks with American officials

Read more Obama Center’s opening draws former presidents, music legends and A-list celebrities