Skybox / ViaWest data center at Cox Ranch, west Cheyenne
Also called: Cox Ranch
Skybox Datacenters and ViaWest Group plan two or three data center buildings on part of the 1,260-acre Cox Ranch west of Cheyenne. The city annexed and rezoned the land in September 2026. The company that would use it has not been named.
Where things stand: City Council annexed the land and rezoned it to business park on Sept. 28, 2026 (8-2). Building is at least a year away.
🕒 Latest update (Sept 28, 2026): City Council approved annexation and business park zoning 8-2.
What we know
- 📍 WhereWest of Roundtop Road, near Happy Jack Road and North Range Business Park, Cheyenne, Laramie County
- 🏢 CompanySkybox Datacenters and ViaWest Group
- 🌳 Size1,260 acres
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromBlack Hills Energy. Developers say they pay the full cost of new power lines and no cost passes to other customers.
- ❄️ Coolingclosed-loop cooling (not evaporative)
- 👷 Jobs promised500
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Which company will use the Cox Ranch data center? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much power will it need? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- April 13, 2026City held a hearing on annexing the land; the data center plan was not mentioned.
- April 27, 2026City Council postponed the annexation until Sept. 14 after the data center plan came out.
- Aug 2026Developers told a council work session each building would use 600,000 gallons of water a year or less.
- Sept 28, 2026City Council approved annexation and business park zoning 8-2.
Local votes and rules
✅ Approved
The City Council voted 8-2 to annex Cox Ranch (about 1,260 acres west of Roundtop Road) and zone it business park for a Skybox and ViaWest data center. In April a council committee voted 2-1 against it, and the council put it off until September. One councilor switched to yes after the developers promised to protect water flow to Crow Creek.
🗺️ Zoning change
Trammell Crow asked to rezone 162 acres in south Cheyenne from farm to light industrial for the Orchard Hills data center. The Planning Commission voted no unanimously on Sept. 8. The City Council has the final say, set for Oct. 12, 2026.
⚖️ Court case
A resident filed two cases in district court. One asks the court to cancel the July 13 Microsoft annexation. The other says the council's Aug. 10 vote to go to court broke the open meetings law. Both were served on the city in late September.
✅ Approved
The City Council gave final approval to annex about 3,460 acres for Microsoft's planned data center campus. That makes the city about 20% bigger. On June 22 the council voted 8-3 against asking for a $50 million community benefits deal. The City Planning Commission had advised against most of the plan.
🗳️ Public vote
Residents turned in a petition with more than 3,000 signatures to put the Microsoft annexation to a public vote. About 2,700 are needed. On Aug. 10 the council voted 8-1 to ask a court whether an annexation can go to a referendum at all. The clerk was still checking signatures in late September.
✋ Turned down
The City Council voted down a one-year pause on new data centers. During the pause, city staff would have studied power use, electric rates, water and land values. About 50 residents spoke for about five hours. A council committee had sent it on without a recommendation on May 18. Reports differ on the count (8-1 or 9-1).
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Unexpected data center component causes council committee to vote against proposed annexation · Wyoming Tribune Eagle · April 2026
- Cox Ranch data center developers outline project commitments at council work session · Wyoming Tribune Eagle · Aug 28, 2026
- Data Center Critics Angry As Cheyenne Council OKs Another Data Center Annexation · Cowboy State Daily · Sept 29, 2026
See something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.