Having withdrawn a plan to build a 1,000-acre, $14B data center campus in western Maricopa County in the Buckeye planning area in April, Tract is now planning a new 1,700-acre complex in Buckeye south of Interstate 10.
If built as described, the new multiphase, master-planned Tract development will be the largest data center project in the Phoenix area.
Buckeye City Council will vote this week on a major amendment to an existing master plan for an area known as Cipriani that will, if approved, create the Buckeye Tech Corridor. The amendment will permit data center development and other industrial uses in a 2,000-acre area.
A master plan was approved for Cipriani in 2008 and expected nearly 10,000 homes and almost 200 acres of commercial development. That plan never came to fruition.
Council will also consider a development agreement with Tract for up to $50M in public infrastructure improvement reimbursements for water, sewer, street and transportation development. The reimbursements will be funded through 20% of the tax revenues the data centers generate over a 20-year period.
For its part, Tract will contribute $15M for a planned interchange at Johnson Road and Interstate 10. It will also build a water campus on 36 acres of the master-planned site if it needs municipal water services and will contribute $3.5M toward a temporary public safety facility.
Arizona Land Consulting paid $40M for the Cipriani site in 2022. Tract will buy most of the site after the Council vote.
No formal plans for the new data center development have been submitted, and no site plan is included in the City documents for the site and the Buckeye Tech Corridor. A City staff report, however, says the data center campus will serve as a significant economic engine and contribute to the community’s fiscal health through tax revenues and because of the campus’ high construction costs. (Source)
