By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors discussed another new data center and energy campus in a work session as part of its Aug. 13 meeting.
The Energy Technology and Generation Campus on 2,495 acres at the NEC of State Route 347 and West Louis Johnson Drive joins several similar large-scale developments recently proposed in the area. (AZBEX; Aug. 1, Aug. 1 [2])
The proposed project includes data center uses, solar energy development and energy storage components.
Plan Amendment and Rezoning Needed
Owner W Holdings is requesting a major Comprehensive Plan amendment from Moderate Low Density Residential to Employment. The plan also calls for a planned area development overlay and rezoning to combine the 17 primarily single-family parcels with some mixed uses under PAD with Industrial Zoning District. Site plan approvals will also be required.
Nearby uses include the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Nissan’s Arizona Testing Center, farmland and properties zoned for agricultural or light industrial/warehouse.
Other jurisdictions – including Phoenix, Mesa and Chandler – have recently set restrictions in place to restrict where data center development can take place, and the Tucson City Council recently rejected a proposed $1.2B data center proposal known as Project Blue following opposition from a contingent of the public. Resource use, environmental impact and utility demand are among the leading points of opposition, which the W Holdings proposal looks to counter from the beginning. (AZBEX; June 18, July 2, July 9, Aug. 8)
According to the submittal from project planner Kimley Horn, “This approval will allow the replacement of approximately +/-10,600 planned single-family and multi-family units, significantly reducing the anticipated impact on local infrastructure, traffic, public facilities and services. In its place, the proposed Energy Generation & Technology Campus provides a less impactful use that will generate new jobs, tax revenues, renewable energy resources and battery storage for local energy reliability and resiliency that will all significantly contribute to the economic growth and vitality of the County. The Project signifies an important investment within Pinal County, providing residents with crucial power and digital services, with the allowance of data centers and energy generation/storage uses such as gas and solar generating facilities, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and other ancillary uses.”
In terms of traffic and road infrastructure, “The Project area is generally bound on the north side by the Emerald Road alignment, on the east side by N. White & Parker Road, on the south side by W. Louis Johnson Road and on the west by Arizona State Route 347. The site can be accessed regionally from Arizona State Route 347 via W. Louis Johnson Road,” the submittal says.
Potential traffic impacts are often a point of opposition for new projects. The submittal says a traffic impact analysis will be performed and notes that data center uses generate “significantly lower traffic volumes” than residential, commercial or office developments.
In terms of power consumption and availability, the submittal shows the Santa Rosa Substation nearby has been expanded recently; the Pinal West Substation is located further to the west, and there are large-scale transmission lines in place in the area and along the project boundaries.
“This focus on improving the surrounding electrical infrastructure in this area lends itself to future alternative energy solutions that will allow for opportunities to further bolster the surrounding infrastructure and power needs,” the submittal states. It adds at the time the Comprehensive Plan was approved, there was little-to-no focus on alternative energy and observes the current Plan takes into account a broad range of energy resources and understands the importance of efficient use, conservation and sustainability.
It adds, “…data centers are now considered critical infrastructure in our current economy. Being able to couple these necessary land uses, within an appropriate area, into an integrated campus can reduce reliance on traditional grid infrastructure and provide greater control over power supply while providing a more reliable, efficient, scalable, and secure environment compared to individual, sporadic data center sites, offering significant advantages in terms of operational resilience, cost savings, and environmental responsibility.”
An earlier work session was held in July. Questions raised and addressed in that meeting included the percentage of the land that could be used for alternative energy production and its possible impact on the land use designations sought. A 100% alternative energy production site would require a Green Energy Production land use, rather than the requested Employment designation. Commissioners also discussed the scale of wildlife impacts and the potential loss of commercially viable land uses given the existing restrictions in place for the Ak-Chin Community.
The project owner is W Holdings, and land ownership is held under Arizona RR Ranches, LLC. Kimley Horn & Associates, Inc. is managing the land planning and entitlements. The project is represented by Rose Law Group.
