Our Appeal! (Plus Supporting Documents and Key Takeaways)
On Monday, June 22nd, we submitted our appeal of Project Taurus to the City of Colorado Springs. Our appeal can be found here.
In this article we’ve compiled all of the resources we used to write this appeal, as well as important information we learned during the process. In summary, here are some of the key takeaways:
Our appeal’s main focus is UDC §7.5.516.D.1(c), which requires a finding that the proposed modification:
"Does not create more adverse impacts on surrounding properties than the development
approval or permit proposed to be modified."
The City approved a 100MW data center, not the 50MW data center discussed at the neighborhood meetings hosted by Raeden.
Colorado Springs Utility (CSU) already purchased and contracted the power Raeden needs to operate the data center.
Without Raeden contracting for the existing power purchased under existing contracts, CSU loses money and will likely need to increase existing rate payer rates to compensate.
Raeden received special permission for an expedited approval process.
The Approval of 100 Megawatts
During both community meetings, Raeden stated that they would be pursuing the development of a 50MW AI data center. in reality, they never even applied for 50MW. This is the timeline of their plan submissions and the meetings they hosted:
Mar. 12, 2026 — Brief Project Statement
Mar. 17, 2026 — First Submittal (no equipment quantities)
Apr. 7, 2026 — Neighborhood meeting #1 (noticed)
Apr. 22, 2026 — Second Submittal (no equipment quantities)
May 14, 2026 — Neighborhood meeting #2 (noticed)
May 27, 2026 — Third Submittal — Sheet M201 first appears (72 chillers, 60 generators, two 50 MW halls = 100 MW)
May 29, 2026 — DLAA Rev C noise study (premised on 36 chillers / 30 generators) - at Integrity Matters’ request of Raeden. Their approval did not include this either, and it's not in the record.
Jun. 10, 2026 — Third Submittal, revised
Jun. 11, 2026 — Administrative approval
This sheet is from the third plan submission by Raeden, on May 27th, 2026. This is the first time Raeden had specified their equipment which includes 72 chillers, 60 generators, and two 50 MW halls totaling 100 MW. This was only 13 days after the community meeting where Raeden promised only 50MW of electricity use from their facility.
Thank you Integrity Matters for discovering this information/timeline and sending it our way!
Raeden is Eligible For a Special Deal On Their Electricity Rate
According to the meeting minutes of 2/17 CSU Utilities Board Working Meeting and the 2/18 CSU Utilities Board Meeting, there were clarifications made about the Electric Large Load (ELL) Rates. The clarification was to make it more clear that the terms and provisions within this rate schedule do not prohibit utilities from entering into or executing special economic development contracts with selected customers. The most current version of the Electric Large Load (ELL) Rate Schedule Summary states the following:
“Pursuant to Utilities Rules and Regulations, Utilities may execute Economic Development Special Contracts with selected customers receiving service under this rate schedule.”
Raeden promises to pay their share of electricity costs, but we have no guarantee that they will not pursue an Economic Development Special Contract now or any time in the future. Additionally, power was already purchased by CSU for Project Taurus. If this project does not go through, the cost of this mistake would be passed onto customers. More information on Raeden’s power needs can be found in this Power Overview and Approach document.
Raeden was in the Fast Lane
Raeden got a Rapid Response Certification which designates them as an official Rapid Response Project -qualified to receive expedited plan reviews. This essentially reduces the time it generally takes for plans to move through the approval process by about half.
View All of the Appeals
We were only one of five appeals, according to KOAA. To view all appeals that were filed, visit this link to the City’s Permits, Licenses and Records website and find each appeal by searching the following record numbers individually: APPL-26-0003, APPL-26-0004, APPL-26-0005, APPL-26-0006, and APPL-26-0007. You will need to make an account if you do not have one, and when looking at an appeal record you’ll need to click the “Record Info” dropdown and navigate to the “Attachments” section.
