The vote follows a letter from Vantage, the developer behind Trident, offering to consider sites farther from neighborhoods if the city agrees to a 90-day pause on adopting new development requirements. Mayor Mike Coffman rejected that proposal, saying the city should move ahead with rules to protect residential areas.

The debate has intensified since residents objected to the project in mid-October. The council then unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance barring data centers from areas zoned mixed-use office or institutional near homes, schools and assisted-living facilities.

The council previously rejected a six-month moratorium, with Coffman casting the tie-breaking vote against it. A new moratorium would require seven votes to pass and likely would not take effect until February, according to the report.

Organizers with Join Unite, a nonprofit formed to oppose Trident, said they want the city to establish firm limits. Makayla Llanos said the group was “cautiously hopeful” that stronger rules were being considered. Tara Miller urged council members not to accept Vantage’s proposed terms.

Any new pause would not halt Trident’s construction process: the project has already been approved. The council’s decision would instead determine whether Aurora temporarily stops accepting applications for additional data centers while it considers broader rules.