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.
Representatives of Viawest Group told members of the Cheyenne Public Services Committee last week that developers are contemplating a data center on the property.
“There is plenty of land out there,” said company spokesman Tom Glissmeyer, adding that the company would “very thoughtfully and responsibly build it (the data center) out over the next handful of years.”
The annexation and incoming data center has prompted public outcry, with Cheyenne residents voicing fear and concern over data centers’ water demand, electricity rates and long-term public health effects.
A petition calling for a temporary moratorium on future data centers circulated ahead of Monday’s 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.
Councilman Larry Wolfe said he's aware a petition but had not seen it.
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.
“That came and went in 5 minutes,” he said. “Petitions, other than reflecting a very generalized sentiment about an issue, are not informative.”
Opposition From Neighbors
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.
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.
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.
“But that does not mean zero water use,” she said.
“We are losing the soul of our community to an unchecked and explosion of growth,” added Patricia McCoy. “The plan to move west on Happy Jack Road is a line in the sand that should not be crossed.
"This isn’t just vacant land. This area is the gateway to our natural beauty … You are destroying the very landscape that makes Wyoming Wyoming.”
The parcel is surrounded by ranches and vacant land.
Minda Blevens told the commission she enjoys coffee in peace and quiet on her back patio.
“I would hate to lose that and kind of be buried with all different kinds of businesses,” she said.
It’s Complicated
Councilman Wolfe admitted the implications of data centers is complex.
“What I tell people is I share a lot of these concerns personally,” he said.
“Data centers are vast,” Wolfe added. "They are remaking the landscape around Cheynne and Laramie County. They are hugely resource-consumptive.”
The growth is happening so fast, he said, that data center development has “completely outstripped the ability of the county and the city to plan.”
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.
“This is a debate going on all over the country,” he said. “Cities have learned a lot of lessons over the past few a years, including this city, about how you deal with these enormous projects.”
Stop the Fear Mongering
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’re located in business parks for a reason.
The entities that comprise business parks belong to commercial owners associations, similar to homeowners’ associations but for businesses, Hale told Cowboy State Daily.
These associations establish rules and guidelines for the look and general upkeep of the area.
“We’ve truly benefited from having land use business regulations with business parks,” Hale said.
At last week’s Public Services Committee meeting, Hale addressed the predominant public concern of water usage as it relates to data centers.
“We want these businesses on public utilities so we can understand their water use and their sewage use,” she said.
According to Hale, data centers consume 1.9% of Cheyenne’s total water supply.
While she said she knows there is fear out there, she said it’s important to consider the Cheyenne population as a whole and where the voices are coming from.
One hundred voices in opposition is different than 10,000 people storming the gates, she said.
She added that she doesn’t believe a temporary moratorium on data centers is a solution.
“A moratorium is just an absolute ‘no,’” she said. “The fear mongering needs to stop.”
Intended Use
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.
The document also states that the district is intended to support data center uses.
The report states, “City staff is satisfied that this proposed zone change would not adversely affect the public health, safety, or general welfare.”
A private mausoleum sits on the 1,260-acre property that was once home to the Wyoming Angus Ranch. Its future is up in the air as the Cheyenne City Council considers whether to annex the land and bring in a new data center. (Courtesy Gay Woodhouse) 
A private mausoleum sits on the 1,260-acre property that was once home to the Wyoming Angus Ranch. Its future is up in the air as the Cheyenne City Council considers whether to annex the land and bring in a new data center. (Courtesy Gay Woodhouse) 
A private mausoleum sits on the 1,260-acre property that was once home to the Wyoming Angus Ranch. Its future is up in the air as the Cheyenne City Council considers whether to annex the land and bring in a new data center. (Courtesy Gay Woodhouse)
Historic Mausoleum
A historic ranch sits on the 1,260-acre parcel.
Gay Woodhouse, former Wyoming attorney general and an attorney for the land’s 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.
The mausoleum holds five caskets now, but it can hold up to eight, Woodhouse told Cowboy State Daily.
She said she is requesting a two-week delay in any decisions about the property moving forward and will attend Monday night’s council meeting.
“It’s a horrible thought that that mausoleum could be removed or the access could be denied,” Woodhouse told the public services committee last week.
Glissmeyer, the Viawest Group representative, told the committee that, “We 100% support however they would like to handle it and respectfully leave it to the current property owner and discuss how to move forward.”
That was little comfort to Woodhouse, who said her clients thought the ranch would be preserved when they sold it to the current owner.
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.
Hit Pause, Not Brakes
Hale said it is important to hear what the public’s concerns are related to the city’s data center expansion.
“It probably would be wise for the council to do a postponement and hear from the public,” she said.
But a postponement shouldn’t be a complete stop.
“It’s better to hit a pause than it is to hit the brakes,” she said.
Hale said she hopes people will bring their concerns to the city council in a respectful manner.
“We can talk about how to mitigate impact if it’s done in a respectful manner,” she said.
Wolfe encouraged residents to voice their concerns.
“I have no problems with the public coming and saying, ‘We don’t like this. We’re scared about the future,’” he said. “I’m scared about it, too. I think everybody is.”
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
