What's Hot

    Retail Center & Senior Residential Development Planned in Casa Grande

    July 1, 2025

    New 108-Room Hotel, Conference Center Planned in S. Phoenix

    July 1, 2025

    State Government Shutdown Averted as Hobbs Signs Budget

    July 1, 2025
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    AZBEX
    NEWS TICKER
    • [July 1, 2025] - Retail Center & Senior Residential Development Planned in Casa Grande
    • [July 1, 2025] - New 108-Room Hotel, Conference Center Planned in S. Phoenix
    • [July 1, 2025] - State Government Shutdown Averted as Hobbs Signs Budget
    • [July 1, 2025] - Industry Professionals 07-01-25
    • [July 1, 2025] - Commercial Real Estate 07-01-25
    • [June 27, 2025] - Arterial Life Cycle Program Covers 20 Years of Street Development
    • [June 27, 2025] - Phoenix-to-Tucson Rail Study Advances
    • [June 27, 2025] - Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix to See $5.5M in Renovations
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    • Home
    • News
      1. View Latest
      2. Planning & Development
      3. Local News
      4. Classifieds
      5. Editorial Analysis
      6. Budgets & Funding
      7. Commercial Real Estate
      8. People on the Move
      9. Arizona Projects
      10. Legislation & Regulations
      11. Trends

      Retail Center & Senior Residential Development Planned in Casa Grande

      July 1, 2025

      New 108-Room Hotel, Conference Center Planned in S. Phoenix

      July 1, 2025

      Phoenix-to-Tucson Rail Study Advances

      June 27, 2025

      Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix to See $5.5M in Renovations

      June 27, 2025

      Arterial Life Cycle Program Covers 20 Years of Street Development

      June 27, 2025

      $56M+ MAG Program will Enable $90M in Arterial Street Widening Projects

      June 24, 2025

      Ariz. Construction Shed 1,700 Jobs in May

      June 24, 2025

      MAG Committee Info Details Upcoming Pavement Plans

      June 20, 2025

      Glendale Voters to Determine VAI Resort’s Fate

      May 16, 2025

      Legislation Would Effectively Strip NIMBYs of Referendum Tool

      February 11, 2025

      2025 Forecast Tries to Clarify an Uncertain Market

      February 7, 2025

      KOREPlex Buckeye Site Quietly Listed For Sale

      January 31, 2025

      State Government Shutdown Averted as Hobbs Signs Budget

      July 1, 2025

      Arterial Life Cycle Program Covers 20 Years of Street Development

      June 27, 2025

      $56M+ MAG Program will Enable $90M in Arterial Street Widening Projects

      June 24, 2025

      MAG Committee Info Details Upcoming Pavement Plans

      June 20, 2025

      Commercial Real Estate 07-01-25

      July 1, 2025

      Commercial Real Estate 06-24-25

      June 24, 2025

      Commercial Real Estate 06-17-25

      June 17, 2025

      Commercial Real Estate 06-10-25

      June 10, 2025

      Industry Professionals 07-01-25

      July 1, 2025

      Industry Professionals 06-24-25

      June 24, 2025

      Industry Professionals 06-17-25

      June 17, 2025

      Industry Professionals 06-10-25

      June 10, 2025

      Arizona Projects 06-27-25

      June 27, 2025

      Arizona Projects 06-20-25

      June 20, 2025

      Arizona Projects 06-13-25

      June 13, 2025

      Arizona Projects 06-06-25

      June 6, 2025

      State Government Shutdown Averted as Hobbs Signs Budget

      July 1, 2025

      Hobbs, Legislators Reach Water Use Compromise

      June 24, 2025

      Phoenix Delays Data Center Rezone Vote

      June 20, 2025

      More Cities Considering Data Center Restrictions

      June 18, 2025

      Ariz. Construction Shed 1,700 Jobs in May

      June 24, 2025

      NABH Council Partnership Wants to Expand Workforce Pipeline

      June 17, 2025

      Project Abandonments Hit a Record in May

      June 13, 2025

      U.S. Construction Added 4,000 Jobs in May

      June 10, 2025

      Retail Center & Senior Residential Development Planned in Casa Grande

      July 1, 2025

      New 108-Room Hotel, Conference Center Planned in S. Phoenix

      July 1, 2025

      State Government Shutdown Averted as Hobbs Signs Budget

      July 1, 2025

      Industry Professionals 07-01-25

      July 1, 2025
    • AZBEX
      • Subscribe
      • Classifieds
      • Advertising
    • DATABEX
      • Webinars
      • Monthly Snapshot
    • Events
      • 2025 Mid-Year Update
    • About Us
      • Meet the Company
      • Meet the Sales Team
      • Meet the Editorial Team
      • Meet the BEXperts
    AZBEX
    Home » Local News » Most Planning Villages Oppose Rush to Restrict Data Centers
    Local News

    Most Planning Villages Oppose Rush to Restrict Data Centers

    BEX StaffBy BEX StaffJune 10, 2025No Comments3 Mins Read
    Credit: Data Center Knowledge
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    By Roland Murphy for AZBEX

    A City of Phoenix draft ordinance to curtail data center zoning has raised concerns in the City’s own Village Planning Committees.

    A recent post on Rose Law Group Reporter explained City planning staff was directed to start drafting an ordinance on data center uses in December 2024, which included instructions for a final City Council vote before Council recesses this summer. The short timeframe came as a shock to the development community and the City’s Village Planning Committees.

    The draft ordinance was produced in late April and is scheduled for a Council vote June 18. RLGR said, “…this is possibly the fastest the City of Phoenix has scheduled a land use ordinance of this caliber for passage. Additionally, there was an unusual structure that scheduled the stakeholder engagement meetings for after the data center ordinance draft had already been produced and Village Planning Committees began voting. No redrafts incorporating stakeholder and Village Planning Committee input have yet been produced.”

    The usual process for drafting a major land use change ordinance includes presentations to the Village Planning Committees and multiple public and stakeholder engagement sessions. It often takes more than a year of back and forth before a final draft is ready for a City Council vote.

    Background

    The proposed ordinance would restrict data center development to areas zoned for industrial and limited commercial uses and require securing a Special Use Permit.

    Data centers would also have to undertake noise mitigation if they are within 300 feet of residential areas, be located more than half-a-mile from high-capacity transit and incorporate decorative design features to avoid “monotonous, undifferentiated surfaces,” according to the staff report.

    Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and some other local leaders have expressed concerns about data centers’ power usage and perceived negative impacts to surrounding areas, including noise pollution, unattractive aesthetics, low post-construction job creation numbers, and impacts on walkability and neighborhood vibrancy, according to a recent article on Axios. (AZBEX, May 21)

    These concerns come despite Phoenix ranking as a national leader in data center development. Within the city limits, there are currently eight data center projects in various stages of design and planning or under construction, with a total estimated construction valuation of more than $4B, according to the DATABEX project database. Four more projects valued at $2B have been delivered.

    In her May 20 State of the City address, Gallego went a step further and called on the Arizona Legislature to eliminate tax incentives for data centers, calling the development incentivization “antiquated.” She also showcased the rezoning attempt as an effort to “set guidelines to support intentional growth.”

    Rapid Pace Creates Pushback

    RLGR reports, “Following data center stakeholder and citizen input at Village Planning Committees, the results have shown that nine out of 14 Village Planning Committees that voted on the issue passed their recommendations with a request for a 60–90-day period for stakeholder input to redraft the ordinance before a final vote by Council.”

    Reasons given for the requested lengthening of the drafting and comment period include concerns about vague language, moratorium issues, protecting existing project investments, and development standards for the zoning districts under the permit.

    Just four Village Planning Committees voted to approve the ordinance in its current state.

    The RLGR post concluded by saying, “While the reasoning for the Village Planning Commission’s recommendations is varied, the message they’ve made is clear: the proposed City of Phoenix data center ordinance needs more work, more time, and more input before final implementation.”

    Arizona Legislature City of Phoenix Data Center DATABEX Industrial Kate Gallego land use ordinance Phoenix City Council Phoenix Village Planning Committees Private special use permit SUP zoning ordinance
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email

    Related Posts

    Retail Center & Senior Residential Development Planned in Casa Grande

    July 1, 2025

    New 108-Room Hotel, Conference Center Planned in S. Phoenix

    July 1, 2025

    Arterial Life Cycle Program Covers 20 Years of Street Development

    June 27, 2025

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Our Picks

    Retail Center & Senior Residential Development Planned in Casa Grande

    July 1, 2025

    New 108-Room Hotel, Conference Center Planned in S. Phoenix

    July 1, 2025

    State Government Shutdown Averted as Hobbs Signs Budget

    July 1, 2025

    Industry Professionals 07-01-25

    July 1, 2025
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    Don't Miss
    Planning & Development

    Retail Center & Senior Residential Development Planned in Casa Grande

    July 1, 20250

    By Roland Murphy for AZBEX Mary-T Inc. is planning a mixed-use development combining 77 age-restricted…

    New 108-Room Hotel, Conference Center Planned in S. Phoenix

    July 1, 2025

    State Government Shutdown Averted as Hobbs Signs Budget

    July 1, 2025

    Industry Professionals 07-01-25

    July 1, 2025

    BEX serves architecture, engineering and construction firms as well as all the ancillary product and service categories that market to them. These include manufacturing representatives, public agencies and private real estate organizations, specialty subcontractors and services providers related to our industry.

    Our Picks

    Retail Center & Senior Residential Development Planned in Casa Grande

    July 1, 2025

    New 108-Room Hotel, Conference Center Planned in S. Phoenix

    July 1, 2025

    State Government Shutdown Averted as Hobbs Signs Budget

    July 1, 2025
    Contact Us

    Phone: 480-709-4190
    Address: P.O. Box 12196 Tempe, AZ 85284
    Email: sales@azbex.com

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.