Opposition to Cheyenne data centers is growing as residents become more vocal and sign petitions against them. One councilman says development has happened so fast, it\u2019s “completely outstripped the ability of the county and the city to plan.”<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
By Kate Meadows<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fate of a nearly 1,260-acre parcel that includes a privately owned mausoleum is in question as Cheyenne City Council considers rezoning the area for future use as a business park, including a data center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Representatives of Viawest Group told members of the Cheyenne Public Services Committee last week that developers are contemplating a data center on the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is plenty of land out there,\u201d said company spokesman Tom Glissmeyer, adding that the company would \u201cvery thoughtfully and responsibly build it (the data center) out over the next handful of years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The annexation and incoming data center has prompted public outcry, with Cheyenne residents voicing fear and concern over data centers\u2019 water demand, electricity rates and long-term public health effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A petition calling for a temporary moratorium on future data centers circulated ahead of Monday\u2019s Cheyenne City Council meeting, but Cowboy State Daily was unable to independently verify who is behind the petition or how many signatures the petition had received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Councilman Larry Wolfe said he’s aware a petition but had not seen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He told Cowboy State Daily he is more interested in hearing from residents than in seeing a petition. The head of the local Democratic Party handed the City Council a petition with 700 signatures on it opposing Flock cameras, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat came and went in 5 minutes,\u201d he said. \u201cPetitions, other than reflecting a very generalized sentiment about an issue, are not informative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some residents of the nearby Rolling Hills neighborhood oppose the annexation, voicing concerns over increased traffic in their neighborhood and water usage should the re-zoning and proposed data center happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kay McAdams told the Public Services Committee she feared the impact of future data center expansion in Cheyenne, questioning what happens when the city is not considering 12 data centers, but 40.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She brought up water usage specifically, saying she was aware that data centers claim to use closed-loop cooling systems, which lessen their water demand from outside sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut that does not mean zero water use,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are losing the soul of our community to an unchecked and explosion of growth,\u201d added Patricia McCoy. \u201cThe plan to move west on Happy Jack Road is a line in the sand that should not be crossed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This isn\u2019t just vacant land. This area is the gateway to our natural beauty \u2026 You are destroying the very landscape that makes Wyoming Wyoming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The parcel is surrounded by ranches and vacant land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minda Blevens told the commission she enjoys coffee in peace and quiet on her back patio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would hate to lose that and kind of be buried with all different kinds of businesses,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Councilman Wolfe admitted the implications of data centers is complex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat I tell people is I share a lot of these concerns personally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cData centers are vast,\u201d Wolfe added. “They are remaking the landscape around Cheynne and Laramie County. They are hugely resource-consumptive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The growth is happening so fast, he said, that data center development has \u201ccompletely outstripped the ability of the county and the city to plan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wolfe said it’s important for local leaders to consider whether data center companies would be required to mitigate both the direct impact and the impacts they can foresee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a debate going on all over the country,\u201d he said. \u201cCities have learned a lot of lessons over the past few a years, including this city, about how you deal with these enormous projects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Betsey Hale, CEO of Cheyenne LEADS, an economic development entity for the city of Cheyenne and Laramie County, has long supported data center expansion in Cheyenne, saying they\u2019re located in business parks for a reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The entities that comprise business parks belong to commercial owners associations, similar to homeowners\u2019 associations but for businesses, Hale told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These associations establish rules and guidelines for the look and general upkeep of the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve truly benefited from having land use business regulations with business parks,\u201d Hale said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At last week\u2019s Public Services Committee meeting, Hale addressed the predominant public concern of water usage as it relates to data centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe want these businesses on public utilities so we can understand their water use and their sewage use,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Hale, data centers consume 1.9% of Cheyenne\u2019s total water supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While she said she knows there is fear out there, she said it\u2019s important to consider the Cheyenne population as a whole and where the voices are coming from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One hundred voices in opposition is different than 10,000 people storming the gates, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added that she doesn\u2019t believe a temporary moratorium on data centers is a solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA moratorium is just an absolute \u2018no,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThe fear mongering needs to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Business Park (BP) rezoning is intended to support small and large-scale industrial development while providing essential commercial services along regional transportation routes in an industrial park setting, according to a Public Services Committee report. The district could support activities related to manufacturing, processing, research and development, and shipping, as well as retail, dining, and convenience stores to appeal to businesses and employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The document also states that the district is intended to support data center uses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report states, \u201cCity staff is satisfied that this proposed zone change would not adversely affect the public health, safety, or general welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A historic ranch sits on the 1,260-acre parcel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gay Woodhouse, former Wyoming attorney general and an attorney for the land\u2019s former owners, said her primary concern with the potential re-zoning and data center is the fate of a family-owned mausoleum on the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mausoleum holds five caskets now, but it can hold up to eight, Woodhouse told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said she is requesting a two-week delay in any decisions about the property moving forward and will attend Monday night\u2019s council meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a horrible thought that that mausoleum could be removed or the access could be denied,\u201d Woodhouse told the public services committee last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Glissmeyer, the Viawest Group representative, told the committee that, \u201cWe 100% support however they would like to handle it and respectfully leave it to the current property owner and discuss how to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was little comfort to Woodhouse, who said her clients thought the ranch would be preserved when they sold it to the current owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That owner has asked that the land now be incorporated into the city, because he wants his land to be on city water and sewer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hale said it is important to hear what the public\u2019s concerns are related to the city\u2019s data center expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt probably would be wise for the council to do a postponement and hear from the public,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But a postponement shouldn\u2019t be a complete stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s better to hit a pause than it is to hit the brakes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hale said she hopes people will bring their concerns to the city council in a respectful manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe can talk about how to mitigate impact if it\u2019s done in a respectful manner,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wolfe encouraged residents to voice their concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have no problems with the public coming and saying, \u2018We don\u2019t like this. We\u2019re scared about the future,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m scared about it, too. I think everybody is.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The data center drama overtaking Cheyenne, as the city counsel and county board of supervisors seem to be showing signs of representing other interests instead of their constituents. And these projects make a lot of money for developers and landowners, but not really that many jobs come with them. And I fear we’ll see H1-B […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tech","category-wyoming"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17021"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17023,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17021\/revisions\/17023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.imgix.net\/Mausoleum-and-data-center-inset-4.27.26.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress\")
![\"Opposition](\"https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.imgix.net\/Data-Center-sign-4.27.26.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress\")
Opposition From Neighbors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s Complicated<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Construction](\"https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.imgix.net\/Meta-12.jpg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&q=75&auto=format%2Ccompress\")
Stop the Fear Mongering<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Intended Use<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-53-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHistoric Mausoleum<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hit Pause, Not Brakes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n