A 160-acre planned data center campus in the West Valley is inching closer to approval after the Glendale Planning Commission recommended moving the project forward to the city council.
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The commission voted 4-2 on Sept. 24 to recommend rezoning the planned site for Project Eagle, formerly called Project Baccara, the Daily Independent reported. The project entails building three 330K SF data centers and 18 natural gas power generation turbines.
The project, proposed by Michigan-based developer Takanock LLC, would sit in unincorporated Maricopa County near Luke Air Force Base. It received a military compatibility permit earlier this year.
But the plans have faced mounting criticism and an organized campaign, with residents citing environmental concerns over water and noise — especially because Maricopa County ranks among the most ozone-polluted areas.
If approved, the site would be rezoned from heavy industrial to planned area development, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. The city council is expected to vote on rezoning and annexing the site into the city at the end of October.
The vote comes as Arizona officials debate whether to impose a statewide data center moratorium. Earlier this month, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes called for a pause on all new development until regulations and policies around their build-out are put in place. But Gov. Katie Hobbs said she opposes such a moratorium.
Arizona is home to 160 data centers, with 149 in Phoenix. Glendale, a suburb about 9 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, has other data center projects underway in the vicinity, such as QTS Realty Trust’s proposed 3M SF campus on a nearly 400-acre site west of the Air Force base.
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