A massive data center campus could rise on a vacant lot in Aurora, Colorado — right across the street from a brand-new housing development — and city staff could approve it without ever holding a public hearing.

Vantage Data Centers Management Company LLC wants to build two large data center buildings on 143 acres near the Windler neighborhood, a community built on a former dryland farm. At full build-out, the project would draw roughly 11 times as much electricity as Denver International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the country. Because the land is zoned for industrial use, Aurora staff can sign off on the project administratively — no city council vote required, and no chance for neighbors to weigh in before it's approved.

This isn't a random location. The site sits in part of Aurora where residents already breathe more polluted air than 98% of Colorado's census tracts, and are hospitalized for asthma more often than 96% of them. About two-thirds of residents nearby are people of color, and many already struggle to afford housing. The project would also add dozens of diesel backup generators and draw hundreds of thousands of gallons of water for cooling.

Aurora City Councilmember Amy Wiles has heard directly from constituents: "The community response has been overwhelming. They do not want data centers, period."

Aurora's leaders should listen. The city council should reject this project — or at minimum require the public hearing residents deserve before any decision is made.

Sign the petition to demand Aurora reject the Vantage data center — before another community is left out of a decision that will shape its air, water, and neighborhood for decades.