Roughly 100 residents packed a Utah County Planning Commission meeting Tuesday to oppose a data center zoning proposal. The commission voted unanimously to recommend it anyway, and before the night ended, a woman was on the floor outside the room in a confrontation with sheriff’s deputies.
The Planning Commission’s vote is a recommendation only. The Utah County Commission holds final authority and will take up the ordinance at a later meeting.
What the Ordinance Would Allow
The proposal opens specific rural and industrial zones to data center development, with conditions attached.
The ordinance would permit data centers in Mining and Grazing M&G-1 and Industrial I-1 zones. It would also create a new Data Center Overlay Zone.
Proposed guardrails include a 300,000-gallon annual cooling-water cap, studies of nearby wells, and water-impact monitoring every six months during the first two years. Public-notice requirements and size limits on the largest facilities are also included. No specific data-center company was identified in available reporting.
Resident opposition ranged from demands for stricter limits to calls for a complete ban on private data-center development. Accounts also differ on public-comment access: some residents said the ordinance was recommended before they had a chance to speak, while other reporting indicates residents addressed the commission after the disturbance.
The Confrontation
Video confirms a takedown outside the meeting room, but the competing legal accounts remain unresolved in court.
Aspen Azalea, identified in local news reports as a Utah artist and activist, was removed from the meeting and ended up on the ground outside.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office said Azalea refused to leave and struck a deputy during the removal attempt. Both went to the ground as deputies worked to separate people in the lobby, per the sheriff’s account.
Azalea told KSL she suffered a concussion. She also described jaw and chin pain and said she went to an emergency room. Those medical claims come from her own statements and have not been independently documented.
Video reviewed by local outlets shows a deputy restraining Azalea on the floor while another person nearby was handcuffed. The footage confirms a physical takedown but does not resolve the competing legal accounts.
Azalea was booked on allegations of disrupting a meeting, interfering with an officer, and assaulting a police officer. Two other people were cited and released. None of those allegations have been proven in court.
Official Response and What Comes Next
The sheriff defended his deputies and condemned the alleged violence against them, while protesters announced a rally at the state capitol.
Sheriff Mike Smith said protecting the right to speak does not eliminate law enforcement’s responsibility to preserve order. He also condemned the alleged violence against deputies.
Organizers announced an emergency rally for Wednesday at the Utah State Capitol. Attendees were called to demand “Justice for Aspen” and the arrest of the deputy who restrained her, according to reporting about the organizers’ announcement.
The Utah County Commission still has to act on the zoning ordinance. The ongoing sheriff’s review and potential criminal proceedings against Azalea could affect the ordinance’s political path. Continued public protests may also shape how the county manages future public meetings.
