To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Michelle Halstead, Director, Commissioners’ Office; Ceila Rethamel, Acting Director, Public Works & Development
Prepared By:
prepared
Nico Johnson, Management Analyst, Commissioners’ Office
end
presenter
Presenter: Nico Johnson, Management Analyst, Commissioners’ Office; Raye Fields, Planner, Public Works & Development
end
Subject:
title
2:00 PM *Data Center Overview & Regulatory Environment
end
Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The purpose of this study session is to provide the Board with foundational information about the data center industry in advance of the Sept. 25 data center tour.
Staff will provide an overview of the different types of data centers, their infrastructure and operational needs, the regulatory approaches being considered by communities in Colorado and elsewhere, and the current data center landscape in and around Arapahoe County.
The discussion is intended to help Commissioners consider data centers more holistically, introduce the major policy considerations associated with future data center development, and identify issues to observe during the tour. Staff is not seeking policy direction at this meeting. Following the tour, staff will return to the Board on Oct. 6 for a more focused discussion of County authority, regulatory options, and potential policy considerations.
end
Alignment with Strategic Plan: Sustainable Growth and Infrastructure - Support environmentally responsible development and energy efficiency in county operations.
Background and Discussion: Data centers are secure facilities that house computer systems and associated components to process, store, manage, and transmit digital information. As the digitization of information has increased since the 1960s, so has the need for new and more powerful ways to process, store, manage, and transmit such information.
Data centers are becoming an increasingly important part of Colorado’s economy and ...
Click here for full text