The Moffat County Zoning and Planning Commission will be conduct a discussion meeting on Wed., Aug. 5 at 6:30 p.m. to consider potential regulations related to data centers. The meeting will be held in the Commissioners Chambers of the Moffat County Courthouse.

According to a Public Notice, this meeting will be the beginning of an ongoing review process. The Planning and Zoning Commission will be holding a series of meetings and discussions before developing any recommendations.

In the public notice, the Planning Commission notes that “county officials do not claim to be experts in the highly technical and rapidly evolving data center industry.” The notice further states that the purpose of the meeting is to “gather reliable information, hear from knowledgeable professionals and community members, and better understand the potential opportunities and impacts before making recommendations or decisions.”

The issue of establishing data centers was debated in the Colorado State Legislature this past session without resolution. Concerns about water usage and the possibility of rate increases for residents versus the benefits of job creation and increased tax revenue have been at the center of discussion for the establishment of local data centers. The failure of the legislature to act on data centers placed the burden of regulating the establishment of data centers on local officials throughout Colorado.

In June, the Routt County Planning Department concluded that data centers were prohibited due to their omission in the county’s Unified Development Code. The primary concern cited by the Routt County Planning Departments opinion was driven by water — large amounts of which are needed to cool the servers in a data center which would be diverted from agricultural purposes.

As the discussion turns toward Moffat County, the Planning and Zoning Commission is asking the public to submit written comments “ensure their complete thoughts, questions, and concerns are accurately documented.” In addition, residents may appear at the Wednesday meeting to comment in person.

If residents would like to submit questions and comments, they may do so by email to: vplanning@moffatcounty.net. Hand delivered or mailed comments can be directed to the Planning Department at: Moffat County Planning Department 1198 W. Victory Way, Suite 107 Craig, CO 81625