Appeal Hearing Recap
Verdict + Summary
The Appeals Were Denied in a 6-2 Vote. The two City Planning Commission members who voted against denying the appeals were Amanda Gigiano and Sheva Willoughby. Jennifer Cecil, Richard Engel, Nadine Hensler, Andrea Slattery, Ryan Case, and David Robbins voted to deny the appeals.
Over 100 people signed up to speak in support of the appeals and in opposition to the data center. The entirety of the 3 hours allotted for public comment on that stance was used and there were still individuals who didn’t get time to speak.
Only 13 individuals signed up to speak in favor of the data center and in opposition of the appeal.
The Appeals Were Denied With the Following Conditions:
Raeden must report utility use data for the first ten years of operation.
Raeden is limited to 50MW of electricity usage. If they wish to increase their usage they must return to the City Planning Department for review and approval.
The approved plan will be modified to correct the M201 (mechanical) page that had listed 100MW, 60 generators, and 72 chillers. Raeden is approved to have 50MW, 30 generators, and 36 chillers.
Raeden must report across the spectrum of sound, including dB(C) in addition to dB(A). There are no stricter decibel limits with this more in-depth measuring/reporting.
Next Steps
The Appellants Can Re-Appeal. There will be a 10-day window for those who had appealed to the City Planning Commission to appeal again. This appeal will go to City Council for review. Another hearing will be scheduled for those appeals to be heard. Stay tuned for updates on when that is scheduled for.
What You Can Do Right Now
Email City Council Members
It’s crucial that they’re painfully aware of how much Colorado Springs opposes Project Taurus and that we have the power to vote them out next time they run for re-election.
Email allcouncil@coloradosprings.gov or reach out to your District Representative.
Donate to Integrity Matters
They are raising money for CORA (Colorado Open Records Act) requests, appeal fees, potential professional services for reviews of various aspects (sound studies and legal complexities/technicalities), and more.
Donate at this link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=ZJKL5FH46RJCY
