The stage has been announced for the debate over the proposed Project Taurus data center before the Colorado Springs Planning Commission.

The city announced Thursday that a special appeal hearing for the data center will be held July 23 at the Shockley-Zalabak Theater at the Ent Center for the Arts to accommodate the expected high public interest and attendance. A starting time is expected to be announced soon.

According to the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs website, the Shockley-Zalabak Theater is the largest section of the Ent Center and can seat about 750 people.

On June 11, city planners approved the development plan for a data center proposed by California-based company Raeden in an industrial facility southwest of Garden of the Gods Road and Centennial Boulevard. The data center had gathered opposition from neighbors and Colorado Springs residents since Raeden began holding events in the spring to discuss the project.

Five separate appeals were filed with the city to challenge the data center plan on grounds ranging from the facility’s power and water demands to its potential noise levels.

During the monthly work session on Thursday, the planning commissioners agreed to set ground rules for the special hearing. The format for the meeting follows the typical procedures for a decision by the commission, but with the potential timeline of an all-day deliberation.

According to the outline released Thursday, city staff will open the meeting with an overview of the data center proposal. Each of the five residents or groups that filed an appeal challenging the data center will then give a 12-minute presentation. The appellants can cede time to each other if they do not need the full 12 minutes.

The appeals will be followed by a presentation from Raeden for up to an hour. The planning commission members will be able to follow up on all presentations with their questions and discussions.

After the presentations, the meeting will be opened for up to three hours of public comment from residents opposing the data center, then another three hours allotted for supporters.

Both the appellants and Raeden will be able to provide a closing rebuttal comment before the commissioners enter their final discussion and vote on the appeal.

“Throughout the hearing, it is expected that everyone conduct themselves respectfully, understanding that others may have different views from your own. Disrespectful words or actions, speaking out of order when not recognized by the Chair, and the use of profanity will NOT be tolerated,” the ground rules for the appeal stated.

Whether the planning commission votes for the appeal or the project, its decision can and likely will be appealed to the Colorado Springs City Council, which holds the final decision on planning issues.

City spokesperson Max D’Onofrio said that other details about the meeting, including how to sign up for public comments and watch online, will be provided in the coming days.