Brighton City Council Regular Meeting - August 18, 2026

The Brighton City Council met at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, in Council Chambers at 500 S. 4th Avenue, Brighton, Colorado. Mayor Gregory Mills presided; Mayor Pro Tem Peter Padilla and Councilmembers Collins, Fiedler, Green, Snyder, Taddeo, and Worth were present, and Councilmember Carbajal was absent. The council voted 8-0 to approve the consent and regular agendas, heard extensive public comment about potential data centers, approved a 232-acre zoning map amendment on first reading, and approved an ordinance allowing Brighton Youth Commission members to serve on the Sustainability Advisory Board.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the July 21, 2026 City Council minutes.
• Authorized the mayor to execute the Second Amendment to the City Attorney Employment Contract.
• Approved on final reading an ordinance amending Brighton Municipal Code Articles 2-4 and 3-4 regarding elections, council procedures, and appropriations.
• The regular meeting agenda was also approved; both motions passed 8-0 with one member absent.

Public Comments & Testimony

Most of the more than 20 speakers used the non-agenda public comment period to oppose future data center development in Brighton or to request a moratorium. Several speakers called for an outright ban. No formal data center application was on the agenda, and staff did not respond to these comments.

• Isabella Williams, a 14-year-old high school student, opposed data centers, saying a data center can use 300,000 to 5 million gallons of water per day, that Colorado is in drought, and that data centers contaminate water and harm wildlife.
• Michelle Montour, a 20-year Brighton resident, said data centers would raise electricity rates and damage water and animals, and urged the council to listen to residents rather than wealthy developers.
• Wayne Scott, of 274 South Third Avenue, urged proactive policy before any application, including study of power consumption, water use, noise, air pollution, construction traffic, and permanent jobs. He suggested ratepayer protection, closed-loop liquid or dry cooling, zoning or moratorium protections, transparency, and a ban on diesel and gas generators.
• Elizabeth Jeremko, of 2311 Park Center Drive, opposed the centers and cited Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing, saying it had promised reclaimed and recycled water but is suing for 260 million gallons of water per year from the Colorado River. She also cited Paris Agreement goals of a 55% emissions reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
• Christy Dowling requested at least a five-year moratorium followed by a referendum and independent, science-based studies, saying this would be comparable to Lochbuie and other nearby cities.
• Jordan Forsyth, speaking for the DSA of Adams County, said corporations are accountable only to shareholders, cited broken promises such as an Aurora data center requesting 98 additional gas generators, and said a Windsor data center created fewer than 20 jobs. He asked for a pause or ban and said Brighton is not an experiment.
• McKay Forsyth, her husband, cited an Eagle Mountain, Utah example where a Meta data center received tax breaks and the community later faced a proposed property tax increase of about 200%. He called for an outright ban.
• Lori Morris, of Wildflower Drive, criticized the city for lacking a data center building code and questioned the 2024 sustainability plan's missing baselines. She said the CCWCD is considering a $250 million bond to keep South Platte water, that data centers would compete with farmers for water, and that most large data centers use more water than the entire city.
• Joe Pinto, of 10th Avenue, said Brighton uses about 4 million gallons of water per day while a large data center can use 5 million gallons per day, with about 80% of that water evaporative.
• Keegan Pagett, an Adams County resident, said Colorado's August 2026 snowpack measured only 15.8 inches statewide, 38% of the 1991-2020 median, and that reservoirs dropped by an average of 22%. He warned the state could run out of freshwater by 2041 and that a typical data center needs 300,000 gallons of water daily.
• Robert Gleichman, a retired teacher, said AI and data centers are killing students' ability to think and asked the council to stop the data center.
• Mike Kelly, representing Third Act, said the Denver Core Site data center entered the city because land-use regulations did not properly classify data centers. He recommended eliminating use-by-right classifications, requiring public hearings for facilities larger than 1,000 square feet or using more than 10 megawatts, regulating closed-loop cooling maintenance, and using union electricians.
• A speaker with an electrical engineering background opposed data centers, saying a large data center could slow other development, raise electricity prices, consume millions of gallons of water during drought, and provide fewer than 50 jobs. She preferred a total ban or a moratorium like neighboring Denver, Jefferson, Larimer, Thornton, Broomfield, Longmont, Boulder, and Lochbuie.
• McKenzie Reinhardt, an artist and art teacher, cited a University of California study projecting 1,300 premature deaths per year by 2030 from data-center-related air pollution, and described health risks including cancer, asthma, hypertension, stroke, and heart attacks.
• Tony Allison said the U.S. hosts 4,400 to 5,400 data centers, or 37-46% of all facilities worldwide, and that there is no comprehensive federal law mandating environmental testing or reporting.
• Annabel DeWitz, a lifelong Brighton resident with asthma and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, said data centers can increase electricity bills by as much as 25% and create only one permanent job for every $1.95 million spent.
• Christine Niholm, a resident for more than 40 years, said the Front Range has some of the poorest air quality in the U.S., noise is a serious concern, and a vote in the city would likely defeat a data center.
• Thomas Wheelis asked the council to consider that AI is an economic bubble, to place a hold on data center applications until scientific data is available, and to create protective policies.
• Chase Wilson, of the Brighton and Lochbuie area, expressed outrage that he learned of data center interest from an Instagram reel and said residents feel the city acted behind their backs. He cited the Colorado Springs Planning Commission's July 23, 2026, 6-2 vote rejecting resident appeals on Project Taurus and urged Brighton to reject data center developers.
• Bailey Simon, an Adams County resident, said the Colorado River basin is stretched thin, Colorado has had record heat-related illnesses this summer, and residents near data centers report no benefits.
• Several other speakers, including Danielle Vidroti, Alice Bomblett, Faye Floyd, Kathy Lerman, Jeanette Angel, Katrina Willis, Ethan Haley, Madison Williams, and others, also opposed data centers because of water use, air and noise pollution, environmental harm, health effects, property values, temporary jobs, and the outsized influence of large corporations.

Public Hearing: Case Farms Zoning Map Amendment

Associate Planner Kim Bauer presented the staff report for ID-246-26, a first-reading ordinance approving a zoning map amendment from Case Farms PUD to R-2 mixed-density residential, R-3 multiple-family residential, C-3 general retail/services, and O open space/parks. The site is about 232.1883 acres south of Bromley Lane, west of South 27th Avenue, north of East 144th Avenue, and east of the South 19th Avenue alignment. The properties were annexed in 2003 and 2009; the PUD dated to 2006 and was amended in 2015. The proposal would replace PUD zoning with straight zoning, introduce R-3 and additional R-2, and allow a wider range of housing. Public notice was posted on the city website on July 31, 2026, and a neighborhood meeting was held March 9, 2026. The Planning Commission recommended approval by a 4-1 vote.

Public hearing commenters:

• Christy Dowling asked about stormwater runoff, the percentage of open space, the Fulton Ditch, and a possible reservoir.
• Brian Charlesworth, an Indigo Trails resident whose home backs up to the site, asked about building height limits and traffic at Chambers and Bromley.
• Linda Francisco, of 1751 Papon Court, objected to Parcel 6 changing to R-3, saying she bought nearby property as R-2 and feared lower property values from senior-living or apartment uses.

Staff and applicant responses included:

• C-3 would be about 8% of the site, R-3 about 27%, R-2 about 60%, and open space about 5%.
• Maximum height is generally 35 feet or 2.5 stories; row houses and small apartments can be 45 feet and 3 stories, and garden apartments in R-3 can be 45 feet and 3.5 stories. Larger apartments may require conditional use or locational criteria.
• A traffic impact study is required; the applicant prepared a master traffic study and said impacts would be mitigated through widening, signals, and related improvements, including along 27th Avenue.
• A master drainage study identifies an existing drainage way along the Kite Street alignment, and the applicant said stormwater detention and water quality will comply with city code.
• Councilmember Green confirmed with staff that data centers are not a permitted use under the proposed zoning, and that the only proposed C-3 commercial parcel is about 16 acres at the Bromley and 27th intersection.
• Mayor Pro Tem Padilla praised the added R-2 missing-middle housing but expressed concern about R-3 on Parcel 6, noting it is a change from the previous R-2-equivalent zoning across from an established residential area. Applicant landowner Clark Carlson said the area is designated mixed-use in the comprehensive plan, is adjacent to commercial or mixed-use land, belongs along the higher-density 27th Avenue corridor, and provides housing diversity.
• Councilmember Worth asked about Parcel 1 open space; Clark Carlson described an existing city pond used for non-potable irrigation under a license agreement, with a future trailhead possible.

The council closed the public hearing and approved the zoning map amendment on first reading.

Ordinance for Initial Consideration: Sustainability Advisory Board Youth Membership

Sustainability Coordinator Tracy McLean presented ID-247-26, amending Article 2-33 to allow Brighton Youth Commission members to serve on the Sustainability Advisory Board. The board was established in May 2025, its first five adult members were sworn in on February 17, and it has had two youth vacancies. The proposed change reserves one youth seat for a Brighton Youth Commission member and allows the second youth seat to be filled by another Youth Commission member or by a youth who lives in Brighton or has significant ties to the community. Youth terms would be standardized at two years. Councilmember Worth asked and confirmed that youth members would have voting positions. Mayor Pro Tem Padilla asked about simultaneous service; the city attorney updated the ordinance language to permit Youth Commission members to serve on the board. Councilmember Fiedler requested an updated aerial photo for future presentations. The ordinance passed on first reading.

Reports

Mayor Mills reported on community events, including a chamber breakfast, the Pennock Center's benefit, the Platte Valley Players benefit, the chamber lunch, and the final Flicks and Kicks movie with a drone show, and reminded residents about Touch a Truck on Saturday.

Police Chief Matthew Dominico announced that the Brighton Office for Victim Assistance had been awarded $100,000 in Proposition KK funding for emergency financial assistance to crime victims. The program will provide rent, deposits, relocation and temporary lodging, utilities, transportation, and safety-related expenses in partnership with Commerce City, Fort Lupton, and Lochbuie.

City Manager Martinez reminded council that a budget session will be held next Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. as a working dinner, and that another city council meeting would follow the current meeting.

Councilmembers also reported on the first Downtown Development Authority meeting, E-470 plans to widen to three lanes to I-25, the Bridge Street and S. 85 project expected to finish by early November, Housing Authority and Adams Crossing progress, parks naming rights, a full moon bike ride, and upcoming Armory events.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda and regular agenda approved 8-0, with Councilmember Carbajal absent.
• Case Farms zoning map amendment approved on first reading by an 8-0 vote, with the motion by Councilmember Green and second by Councilmember Taddeo.
• Sustainability Advisory Board youth membership ordinance approved on first reading by an 8-0 vote, with the motion by Mayor Pro Tem Padilla and second by Councilmember Worth.
• No binding action was taken on data centers; the issue was raised only in public comment, and during council discussion of the zoning proposal staff confirmed data centers are not a permitted use in the proposed Case Farms zones.
• The next budget session is scheduled for August 25, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.