Longmont council directs staff to draft ban on hyperscale data centers and standards for smaller facilities

Councilmember Popkin told the council on April 28 that communities across the country are racing to respond to rapid growth in data‑center construction and that Longmont’s status as a municipal utility provider gives the city unique leverage to set local limits.

Popkin moved to direct the city manager to draft an ordinance that would ban “hyperscale” data centers—defined in the motion as facilities with a projected or contracted peak electrical demand of 100 megawatts or greater, including phased load expansions—on city lands. Mayor Pro Tem McCoy seconded the motion; council discussion focused on timing, definitions and possible unintended impacts. The motion to pursue drafting the ordinance carried unanimously.

Popkin then presented a second, narrower motion directing the city manager to develop use‑specific standards for smaller light‑industrial and colocation facilities. The standards Popkin proposed would address power usage effectiveness, water consumption (not to exceed previously allocated water rights), cooling system efficiency, noise and lighting, and would apply to co‑location, enterprise/edge facilities and public emergency computing infrastructure. Council discussed process options—moving directly to ordinance language versus an iterative study‑session approach with advisory‑board input. City Attorney Eugene May and City Manager Harold Dominguez urged a deliberate, conceptual approach before encoding substantive standards into ordinance language.

Council voted 5–2 to direct staff to develop the use‑specific standards; Council members Christ and Prieto recorded the dissenting votes. Supporters said the approach is proactive protection of city resources and ratepayers; opponents said they were concerned about acting without clearer evidence of a local problem and about potential impacts on business development.

Council instructed staff to include input from the planning, water and sustainability advisory boards and the Longmont Economic Development Partnership as part of the rule‑making process, and to return with a recommended process that could include study sessions prior to ordinance drafting.

Next steps: staff will scope the ordinance/standards work and present a timeline and community‑engagement plan for council review.