The Marana Town Council has approved new data center restrictions covering noise during operations and plans for decommissioning after operations end.
The new ordinance reduces the maximum nighttime weighted noise levels from 55 decibels to 50 for data centers next to land zoned for mixed-use or residential purposes. Maximum levels were also added for daytime use, which the original ordinance did not address.
In addition, developers will face a five-decibel penalty for noise at a continuous pitch.
Developers will also now have to provide proof at the beginning of the application process to show they are able to cover decommissioning to remove all the equipment and infrastructure from the site, remediate the land, and provide a 15% contingency buffer. Decommissioning will have a 12-month deadline, with a possible three-month extension.
Most of the code updates will be applicable to the Beale Infrastructure data center development on Luckett Road. The project will, however, be exempt from the nighttime limit, since the limit conflicts with the project’s specific plan.
Beale is also the developer behind the Project Blue data center elsewhere in Pima County. (Source: Arizona Daily Star)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Multiple jurisdictions around Arizona have imposed increasing levels of restrictions on data center zoning and development recently. AZBEX has covered the issue extensively, and much of our reporting is available at this link. Data center restrictions are also a growing trend in Nevada. Our Nevada sister publication, NVBEX, has also covered the issue. That coverage is available here.