Another step has been taken in a Colorado Springs project that will see the building of a large scale data center on a 22-acre site off the Garden of the Gods Road that was once home to an Intel microchip plant.
The 50-megawatt project has sparked no small amount of opposition from residents and community activists. Those opponents have raised the conventional concerns about heat and pollution that are increasingly being heard in data center proposal debates across the country.
But an additional complaint has been aired regarding the question of noise pollution, with charges centering on a low-frequency sound emanating from the center that can cause, it has been said, vertigo and nausea.
Project developer Raeden, which is based in Oakland, California, has said that a sound wall will be constructed, along with “noise limiting materials,” to be placed around the center’s chillers, which will run non-stop.
On July 21, Raeden additionally announced that it intended to pursue a Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes certification for the project. That effort, said Jason Green, president of Raeden, “demonstrates that we are building with integrity, with a commitment to resources efficiency and transparency to host communities.”
Last week members of the Colorado Springs Planning Commission, after a nearly 16-hour hearing, voted by a 6 to 2 margin to uphold a previous city planning department administrative approval of the project.
Opponents of the project have said that they will appeal the commission vote before the Colorado Springs City Council.
Raeden has said that the Project Taurus will cost around $700 million to build. Earlier reports indicated that construction was set to begin this summer, with a spring 2027 completion date.
July 28, 2026
By Garry Boulard
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