A Guide to the Project Taurus Public Hearing
When and where, how to give public comment, tips and tricks for comment, and what to expect for the day.
When and Where
Shockley-Zalabak Theater at the Ent Center for the Arts: 5225 North Nevada Avenue.
July 23rd. 9am start, estimated to end in the late afternoon/early evening.
We recommend carpooling and arriving a bit earlier, as public comment will happen on a first-come, first-served basis and there’s a limited time of for public comment in support of the appellants.
How to Give Public Comment
For in-person comment at the hearing, you’ll need to sign up upon arrival and give your comment during the public comment portion of the hearing. According to the city and the agenda, this portion is extremely likely to not occur until after the lunch break. However, we still recommend arriving for the 9am start time to secure your spot for public comment and to hear what the city, the appellants, and Raeden present during their speaking time.
Virtual comments will not be possible during the hearing, but anyone unable to attend the public hearing may submit written comments via email. Email your written comment to Daniel.Sexton@coloradosprings.gov. Any comments received by Wednesday, July 22nd will be provided to the Planning Commission to serve as part of the record for the public hearing.
Tips and Tricks for Your Comment
Practice your comment beforehand, timing yourself to ensure you fit within the strict 2 minute limit per speaker.
Depth is as important, if not more important than breadth. You can’t cover everything in 2 minutes. Try to focus your comment around some key points, rather than trying to touch upon every topic. A breadth of topics will be covered by the group as a whole.
Public comment is not only important for the success of this appeal, but also for the future of the data center fight if the appeals are rejected at this hearing. All comments that are part of the public record can help establish standing for legally opposing the project in the future. This is an important opportunity to explain how this data center can cause harm to yourself personally and the entirety of the community around you.
Some guidelines from the city include the following rules:
You may not cede time to other speakers.
If a speaker wishes to reference/share information with Commissioners during their time, copies of the materials must be provided digitally to City Planning staff 24 hrs prior to the hearing or 12 copies printed and handed to staff prior to speaking.
Some possible comment topics you could cover include environmental impact, possible personal harm, the unjust process under which this was approved, binding agreements needed for community protection, additional independent studies needed to ensure no harm is done to COS, and more.
Keep your comment relevant to the application or project rather than focusing on adjacent issues such as your stance on AI.
What to Expect for the Day
The expected agenda is as follows:
This will be a long day. Given the schedule there’s certain to be a lunch break and according to Daniel Sexton, possibly a dinner break. We recommend packing lunch, snacks, and water. There’s also some food options located nearby across the street. If you cannot make it for the full day, coming around lunch would still be great! There may still be open spots for public comment. If the hearing is still in progress (we plan to post updates to our social media), coming after working hours to support the appellants would also be great.
