Pima County judge tosses lawsuit over Project Blue data center rezoning

A Pima County Superior Court judge, Brenden Griffin, has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the No Desert Data Center Coalition against Pima County and its Planning and Zoning Commission. The lawsuit sought to invalidate the rezoning of nearly 300 acres of land for a proposed data center known as Project Blue, alleging the county deceived the public about its true intentions and violated state open meeting laws by not explicitly disclosing the data center's purpose in its agenda. Judge Griffin ruled that the county did not violate open meeting law, despite the county staff's lack of disclosure regarding the rezoning's purpose. Jared Keenan, executive director of the Arizona Center for Law and the Public Interest, expressed disappointment, stating that the judge's questioning indicated the county had attempted to mislead the public about the rezoning's specific intent for a data center. Representatives for Beale Infrastructure, a company involved with the project, were seen shaking hands with county attorneys after the decision. Vivek Bharathan of the No Desert Data Center Coalition, a vocal opponent of hyperscale data centers in the community, criticized the county's stance. The coalition plans to appeal the ruling, with attorneys preparing to file a notice of appeal within 30 days, initiating a process that could last several months and involve further oral arguments at the court of appeals.