Following a petition rejection from the Marana Town Clerk, opposition group Arizonans for Responsible Development has ended its efforts to put two referenda on the project before voters.
Editor’s Note: Arizonans for Responsible Development is sponsored by the labor union-affiliated political group Worker Power. AZBEX has extensively covered Worker Power’s efforts to influence various development projects around the state. Much of our reporting is available here.
The Marana Town Council approved rezoning more than 600 acres on two roughly 300-acre parcels in January that will allow developer Beale Infrastructure to build out its planned data center campus. One parcel is currently owned by the Kai Family Trust, while the other is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
ARD had filed 2,800 signatures to put each of the site rezonings before voters through a referendum. After reviewing the petitions, however, the Town Clerk found them to be improper, as they did not include the two properties’ legal descriptions for the zoning ordinances. The signatures were deemed ineligible for further verification.
The group’s attorney requested Town officials withdraw the petitions last week and said it no longer supports putting the issues on the ballot.
Town officials said Marana’s review and decision were based on the requirements of the administrative process, not the group’s request to withdraw.
The No Desert Data Center Coalition, an anti-development group that also stands in opposition to the Beale campus plan, called the ARD decision to withdraw the petition requests “a betrayal of our trust.” (Source)
