Microsoft data centers in Cheyenne (North Range, Cheyenne Business Parkway, Bison Business Park)

❓ Still unanswered

Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?

• How much water and power do Microsoft's Cheyenne data centers use each year? 🙋 I'll find out

🔎 What we checked

• Oct 8, 2026: We checked USGS satellite images: they show a large data center campus (long flat-roofed halls, parking and power equipment) at the pin, just north of I-80.

✅ 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).