The landscapes of Mesa's neighborhoods may soon be reshaped as plans for large data center campuses surge forward. Amidst community trepidations, Mesa's Planning and Zoning Commission has, in separate actions, given the green light to both the Pacific Proving Technology Campus and CyrusOne's ambitious data center projects. As reported by Phoenix Business Journal, whereas Pacific Proving's plan sailed through with unanimous approval, CyrusOne's proposal sparked a heavily contested debate before narrowly clinching a go-ahead in a 4-3 vote.
Neighboring residents like Frank Brontsema and Anson Gilbert have raised their voices to challenge the CyrusOne build, slated to rise near their Mesquite Canyon neighborhood. Their main gripes are the potential for a marred skyline and the incoming noise pollution. Meanwhile, Gilbert colorfully expressed his dismay in an ABC15 interview, "I'm not against data centers, just don't build it in my damn backyard." The controversy stems from the data center's proposed height exemption, which would allow structures to loom nearly thirty feet higher than permitted by Mesa's zoning laws.
While residents stand to quickly lose their current sense of peace, city planning officials have decidedly tipped the scale in favor of economic growth and technological expansion. With the commission acting as the decisive body for the CyrusOne proposal, residents like Brontsema allege a lack of effective communication, claiming to have been left in the dark about meetings concerning the project. In contrast, as per ABC15, Brontsema revealed, "They claimed to have a meeting on June 24, when only one person showed up. Not a single person in this entire neighborhood got a notice of that."
Despite the local opposition, the commission's approval paves the way for CyrusOne to to potentially create 250 jobs with an average salary of $80,000. The company, boasting a substantial presence across various continents, anticipates five years for the full development of their campus, as told by CyrusOne's project development manager, Sean LeRoy, in his presentation to the commission. This approval is a significant marker in the broader narrative of Phoenix’s intensifying data center boom, with the Valley witnessing 325 megawatts of new data center capacity under construction at the end of 2023 and another 3,215 megawatts in planning, according to Phoenix Business Journal citing Cushman & Wakefield.
While technology forges new frontiers in the cityscape, Mesa's official stance towards future data center endeavors has begun to shift. With 14.8 million square feet of data center space already planned or under construction, Mesa Economic Development Director Jaye O’Donnell indicated that the city is not actively pursuing more data center development.
