Boulder City residents will get to decide this November whether an additional 14,000 acres of city-owned land should be opened to data center development. 

In February, the Boulder City Council authorized a ballot measure allowing voters to approve data center development as a new permitted use within portions of the Eldorado Valley Transfer Area — a massive 100,000 acre tract southwest of Boulder City that includes the popular recreation area Dry Lake Bed. 

Boulder City purchased the site in 1995, but the city charter strictly limits development in the area without voter approval. More than 86,000 acres in the Eldorado Valley Transfer Area are also protected under a multi-species habitat conservation easement and cannot be developed.

[Voter Guide: 2026 General Election Voter Guide: The candidates, the ballot measures, and the tools you need to cast your vote.]

Boulder City’s Question 1 will appear on residents 2026 general election ballot, asking voters “Should data center facilities be an approved land use within the Eldorado Valley Transfer Area outside of the Multi-species Habitat Conservation Easement?”

If approved, the Boulder City Council would effectively be authorized to lease an additional 14,000 acres of city-owned land to data center developers. Any data center proposal in the transfer area would still need to undergo the city’s standard land-use and leasing process, where the City Council can determine whether or not to approve developments. 

The ballot measure would not affect land use outside the Eldorado Valley Transfer Area, which is generally not limited under city charter. For example, the ballot question would not impact the City Council’s authority to approve a data center lease agreement on the nearly 90 acres of city-owned site where Townsite Solar 2 LLC originally proposed their controversial Townsite Data Center. The developer pulled that application in July in the face of broad public opposition and approval to build on federal land. 

The ballot question also will not affect Townsite Solar 2 LLC’s ability to build their Townsite Data Center on federal land adjacent to Boulder City-owned land. A federal administrative court, however, halted construction of the Townsite Data Center earlier this month.

Boulder City acquired the Eldorado Valley Transfer Area in 1995 under an agreement with the Colorado River Commission under the condition that the area only be used for public recreational purposes, solar energy facilities, habitat preservation, public utility infrastructure, and roads.

Over the years, Boulder City voters have expanded land use options in the transfer area through ballot questions. In 2007, voters approved geothermal development in the area. Voters expanded land use options again in 2022 to include other clean energy technologies and natural gas. 

Arguments for the passage of Question 1 submitted by the Ballot Question Committee that supports the measure note that lease agreements with data center developers could attract “much-needed additional financial options” for the city, adding the city could charge “10 times more rent per acre for data center leases compared to current solar developments.”

The Ballot Question Committee notes that Boulder City heavily relies on revenue from solar leases, which have brought in millions of dollars in revenue annually, but warns that many of those leases will soon expire. Data centers could replace that revenue if they are built on city-owned land, argue proponents of the ballot measure. 

Since the ballot measure was approved by the City Council in February, Boulder City residents have overwhelmingly opposed building data centers within city limits. 

Brynn deLorimier, a Boulder City resident who has led a grassroots campaign against data center development, argued the City Council should not push for more data center development before establishing guardrails for facility size, water systems, heat, energy use, or environmental impacts. She said she would be voting “no” on the ballot question to prevent further data center development. 

“Our city is moving way too fast on this,” deLorimier said. “They haven’t looked at the long-term impacts that this could have on our community.”

DeLorimier, who like the City of Boulder City joined an appeal with the Center for Biological Diversity to halt the construction of the Townsite Data Center, said she is not convinced the construction of data centers would be an economic benefit in the long-term.

“We pride ourselves on being a small town famous for our tourism industry, famous for the Hoover Dam, and I think this has a really good chance of destroying all that,” deLorimier said. 

Question 1 will be Boulder City voter’s first chance to have a direct say in data center development, said deLorimier. Residents of Boulder City have pushed City Council to enact a moratorium on data centers citywide until they have a chance to hear from voters in November. Without a moritorium, deLorimier said she would push for a citizens initiative petition to place a ballot initiative that would require majority voter approval before the city approves the construction of any data center exceeding 10,000 square feet on city-owned land.

Earlier this year, deLorimier spearheaded a similar ballot question, but the petition fell short by almost 300 verified signatures and failed to move forward.

“Everybody that we actually found to sign was enthusiastic to sign. It was just finding people to sign them,” deLorimier said, adding that they had a tight deadline after launching the petition in June. “We will be introducing those again.”

Editor note: Article was updated to correct Brynn deLorimier spelling and clarify intent of citizens initiative petition on data centers.