By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The City of Page has rejected a petition seeking to block the land sale associated with a potential $10B, 500-acre data center development.
The Arizona Daily Sun reported the City stated last week it rejected the petition under the statutory administrative process because some of the petition signature sheets that were submitted for verification did not have the correct serial number, lacked a serial number and/or did not include a copy of the Page ordinance being opposed. Since the submission did not meet the mandated requirements, officials said none of the signatures were eligible for verification.
Opponents of a luxury multifamily development in Peoria met a similar fate with their online petition in November. A referendum petition from opponents of an affordable housing development in Surprise was also rejected for procedural deficiencies in 2023. (AZBEX; Feb. 20, 2023)
The land sale agreement sets the purchase price for the property near Horseshoe Bend at $7M, or $14K/acre. No detailed plans have been submitted yet by developer Huntley LLC. Huntley traces to UK developer Hollybrook and its data center developer subsidiary Rooskey. Arup is the lead engineer, and Dibble is serving as the civil engineer.
A feasibility study will be required, according to the agreement and a report in Data Center Dynamics.
Additional details from the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting say Huntley must procure its own water and power for the project and use a closed-loop cooling system to minimize water consumption.
While construction details are not yet available, the project is targeted for up to 1GW of capacity and up to $10B in overall investment.
Along with that, Rooskey representatives quoted in the Lake Powell Chronicle said up to 500 skilled jobs could be created upon completion.
The petition organizer told the Daily Sun and Arizona’s Family News she expects far fewer jobs from the project, guessing the maximum would be closer to 50. Opponents also cited concerns about data center water and power use and their potential impacts on the scenic region.
A recent panel of data center experts addressed the standard issues and alleged misconceptions around data center developments and stressed both the direct and indirect job creation and other economic benefits from the rapidly expanding sector. (AZBEX; Dec. 12)
Opponents said, while they consider the petition rejection to be a setback, they will continue fighting against the development.
