By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Coinciding with its rejection of a proposed annexation and development for Beale Infrastructure’s $1.2B Project Blue data center facility, the Tucson City Council directed staff to devise amendments to the City’s Unified Development Code to create standards and regulations for large-scale data center developments. (AZBEX, Aug. 8)
The Tucson Planning Commission will meet in a study session on Sept. 17 to discuss staff’s proposals.
AZBEX was the first outlet to report on the specific area development plan activity that would ultimately be revealed to be Project Blue. (AZBEX, April 30)
The study session will be to brief Commission members and solicit feedback before creating the draft ordinance.
In the same Aug. 6 meeting in which Council voted not to pursue the Project Blue development and issued the directive to staff on a possible zoning ordinance, Council also requested that Tucson Water draft an ordinance creating a “Large Water User Program.” (AZBEX, Aug. 19)
As we reported last month, data center opposition generally centers around their utility consumption, particularly for electricity and water. Even though developers routinely work out phased supply agreements with power providers, and water use demands are far lower than they have previously been due to evolving design and mitigation efforts, opponents tend to focus on the raw volume numbers, which make up a significant volume compared to existing use rates.
More progressive-leaning leaders and jurisdictions have also focused on data centers’ potential impacts on walkable neighborhoods and transit-oriented development, even though, in practical terms, there has been little overlap between the two development types. (AZBEX, Aug. 22)
Tucson Planning Specifics
The Tucson UDC does not currently cover large-scale data centers, so creating a definition will be the staff’s first consideration in drafting a new ordinance. Other necessary items will be identifying zoning districts where the centers will be allowed, establishing use-specific standards and creating the review and approval process, according to the memo prepared for the Planning Commission.
Currently, Tucson’s Zoning Administrator has found large-scale data centers to be most similar to the City’s Generating System land use. That finding will stay in place until the code is updated.
The rationale for the Generating System is, much like a power plant generates electricity, data centers generate “massive amounts of a product to be distributed throughout an interconnected system,” provide a service that is essential to daily life, integrate into multiple utility systems, and impact the surrounding area in ways similar to a generating facility.
Generating Systems are not allowed in any zone and are only permitted through establishing a Planned Area Development.
Tucson staff has examined recently implemented or proposed zoning and use restrictions from Chandler, Phoenix, Mesa and Marana to see how the issue is being addressed in other jurisdictions.
The Sept. 17 meeting will be the first of two study sessions and will feature a discussion on other jurisdictions’ actions, outline the community engagement and input process and get Commissioners’ feedback. After gathering community input and meetings with the Technical Advisory Committee, staff will present a draft ordinance for review in a future study session.
The staff memo says: Items that are being considered for inclusion in the proposed amendment include the following:
- Data center definition, including a size threshold for large-scale data centers;
- Establishing zoning districts where large-scale data centers are permitted;
- Establishing use specific standards for large-scale data centers;
- Mayor and Council Special Exception process for large-scale data centers.
Staff plans to have the draft ordinance ready for review by the Mayor and Council by March 2026.