‘Is that really the community we want?’: Sahuarita residents plan to protest Project Gravel data center
Sahuarita residents are organizing opposition to Project Gravel, a proposed 160-acre, eight-building data center. Residents are concerned about its effects on wildlife, health, water use and energy consumption, with a community rally planned for October.
Residents of Sahuarita, Arizona, voiced concerns at a community meeting about Project Gravel, a proposed 160-acre data center campus with eight buildings that could be completed by 2029 if approved. Attendees questioned the project's potential effects on public health, wildlife, water resources and energy use.
Pastor Randy Mayor of Good Shepherd United Church of Christ, which has hosted monthly meetings on local development since June, said he plans to organize a community rally in October. The proposed data center follows local protests over a separate 160-acre Copper World open-pit mine planned by Hudbay Minerals, adding to residents' concerns about large-scale industrial development near Sahuarita. Pima County has not responded to requests for Project Gravel documents, and the Sahuarita Town Council is scheduled to discuss local matters on Oct. 12.