The Denver City Council voted on Monday to approve a one-year data center moratorium.

This puts a pause on the “acceptance, processing, or approval of any zoning permits, site development plan applications, and site development plan amendment applications” related to data centers.

The moratorium does not apply to data centers primarily concerned with communication or telecommunications, nor does it apply to data center work that has already been permitted.

CoreSite’s DE3 data center – currently under construction – is therefore exempt.

The moratorium also provides for a “robust public engagement process” between local officials and community members.

This would consist of council members, utility companies, union representatives, an industry representative, advocacy groups, community members, a subject matter expert, and ex officio members from Denver City Departments, according to a Denver City Council slide deck shared on May 18.

The measure has been discussed by city officials since February in response to community backlash against the impacts of data centers.

At the time, Mayor Mike Johnston said that the pause would allow the city “to put clear and consistent guardrails in place while protecting our most precious resources and preserving our quality of life.”

There are approximately 50 data centers in Denver, according to Energize Denver, with most of the facilities in Colorado clustered around the city.