Data centers, manufacturing and energy facilities could rise on land south of the city of Maricopa under a plan called the Arizona Independent Technology Campus. Pinal County planning staff presented the proposal for a data center south of Maricopa to the Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 20 and to the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 2. However, both sessions were work sessions, and neither body took a vote.
The request asks the county to change 956 acres from Moderate Low Density Residential to Employment on its Land Use Plan. Adjacent land already carries the Employment designation. Therefore, if the county approves the change, the applicant would seek to rezone both areas together. Senior Planner Tanya Bedward said that combined rezoning would total about 1,517 acres.
Bedward told both bodies the plan is highly conceptual at this stage. Zinke Investments LLC owns the property, and Colliers Engineering & Design filed the request on the owner’s behalf.
Where the Arizona Independent Technology Campus would sit
The site lies southeast of Porter and Barnes roads in unincorporated Pinal County. It is about two miles east of Highway 347.
Agricultural uses surround the property. Meanwhile, industrial development sits immediately north, including the Nissan Technical Testing Center. A renewable natural gas facility also operates less than half a mile to the southwest.
The site sits south of the city of Maricopa and southwest of Casa Grande. Staff listed Casa Grande as the closest municipality, about five miles east. Staff also showed a 600-foot notification area around the site.
What the plan for the data center south of Maricopa includes
The conceptual plan lists three components. First, it calls for general industrial uses, including manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. Second, it includes industrial park development. Third, it proposes data centers supported by energy-related facilities.
Why rezoning would cover more than 1,500 acres
The request for the data center south of Maricopa covers only part of the project. The adjacent parcels to the east and north changed to Employment under an earlier comprehensive plan amendment. That approval covered 561 acres.
Commission Vice Chairman Karen Mooney asked whether the existing Employment designation on those parcels explains why only this portion needs a major amendment. She also asked whether the zoning case would then cover the whole thing. Bedward confirmed both points.
At the supervisors’ meeting, Supervisor Rich Vitiello also asked about the acreage. “Wasn’t this 500 acres for the data center? Now they want to add more, correct?” he asked. In response, Bedward confirmed the request would add acreage to the earlier approval.
Commission chairman expects opposition from Maricopa
Commission Chairman Robert Klob said he had already received feedback on the site, “aside from the troubling words of data center.” He said he had heard back from the City of Maricopa as the proposal relates to its general plan. “I think we’re going to get a fair amount of opposition from them,” Klob said. He noted the land is in Maricopa’s general plan, though not inside the city.
Klob added that officials need to be aware of how these projects tie back into general plans close to cities. “Take that into consideration as we move forward,” he said. Bedward responded, “Noted.”
At the board meeting, Vitiello asked whether Maricopa had commented. Bedward said the county was in dialogue with the city, which has indicated an interest in the project.
Maricopa comments and a rezoning case still to come
The Arizona Independent Tech Campus data center amendment still needs county approval before the applicant can seek rezoning, the stage where Bedward said more detailed plans would come. Meanwhile, she added that the county could receive the City of Maricopa’s final comments within about a week of the board meeting.
Pinal County case PZ-PA-015-26
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