By Roland Murphy for AZBEX – BEXclusive
Merit Partners has changed a plan submitted last year for a roughly 43-acre site at the NWC of Crismon and Pecos roads from potential distribution, logistics, warehousing, manufacturing and similar uses to a new data center campus. The developer will face hearings before several Mesa bodies this month to effect the change.
The updated plans change the name from Legacy Business Park to Merit Legacy Technology Park and overhaul the entire scope of the development.
Last August, Merit Partners initiated an annexation and rezoning process for the Legacy Business Park site “to provide for reasonable and appropriate level of industrial development of the Property by Merit Partners with a variety of sought-after, high-quality employment uses including, but not limited to distribution, e-commerce, aerospace, logistics, industrial, warehousing/storage, and manufacturing uses/tenants.” According to that project narrative, “The proposed development plan is intended to provide assurances of a high-quality project while also offering the needed flexibility to accommodate potential end users.” (AZBEX; Aug. 14, 2023)
The original plan would have placed two buildings on the site at 240.4KSF and 338KSF. The new proposal will create a three-building data center campus, with each building also providing an office/storage component. An electrical substation is also included in the plan and will be located on approximately four acres at the NEC of the property.
As was noted in last week’s BEX 2024 Private Development Summit, Arizona is a leader in data center development nationwide, and Mesa is one of the state’s leading markets, with a current pipeline of $8.03B. (AZBEX; Aug. 09)
The requests filed with the City of Mesa consist of annexation of the site, after which approval will be needed for a minor general plan amendment, rezoning and site plan approval, and a Council use permit for the substation. “The proposed development is being positioned to support the growing demand within the technology sector both locally and nationally via data centers, etc.,” the new project narrative says.
According to the narrative, “Upon annexation, a Minor General Plan Amendment of the current Character Area designation from Mixed-Use to Employment is being requested along with a Rezoning/Site Plan/Council Use Permit applied to the Property. The rezoning portion will occur via a two-step process. First the City’s comparable zoning district of Agricultural will be applied to the Property. The Property will then be rezoned, via this application request, to Light Industrial with a Planned Area Development overlay/site plan approval, which the PAD will allow for amended development standards (e.g., parking, building height, walls, setbacks, etc.) for this specific development proposal. Finally, and concurrently, a Council Use Permit for major utilities (i.e., electrical substation) is being requested to facilitate the future development of an electrical substation to serve the proposed Merit Legacy Technology Park.”
Building A will total 430KSF, with two data center floors of 195KSF each and two floors of administrative space at 20KSF each. Buildings B and C will each total 285KSF, with two floors of 130KSF of data center space and two of administrative space at 12.5KSF each.
Development could occur in one or more phases, with development/improvements to be submitted as needed. Offsite improvement plans along the roadways may also be phased to allow for the development of all or part of the buildings and site as needed.
The Mesa Design Review Board will offer feedback but take no action in its Aug. 13 meeting. The plan amendment and rezoning requests will go before the Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 14. Mesa City Council will hear the annexation, general plan amendment and rezoning requests on Aug. 19 and vote on them in a second meeting on Aug. 26.
Mesa Planning Division staff has recommended approval for the general plan amendment on the condition it complies with any conditions applied to the rezoning case request.
The property owner is Pacific Proving, LLC. The developer is Merit Partners, Inc. Gensler is the design firm, and landscape architecture is through Laskin & Associates, Inc. The civil engineer is Colliers Engineering & Design (formerly HILGARTWILSON), and the project is represented by Gammage & Burnham, PLC.
