Mayes probing Ahwatukee data center as ‘nuisance’
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has opened a public nuisance investigation into Menlo Digital's data center campus under construction in Ahwatukee after residents complained about construction noise, lighting, dust and potential long-term impacts. Residents are pressing for construction to stop, while Mayes is also advocating a statewide data center construction moratorium and stricter protections for water, electricity and communities.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes disclosed at an Oct. 14 town hall in Mesa that her office is investigating whether Menlo Digital's 1-million-square-foot Ahwatukee data center constitutes a public nuisance. Residents described sleepless nights, construction noise, dust, lighting, diesel emissions and concerns about the facility's proximity to homes, schools and the South Mountain Preserve. The Ahwatukee Community Alliance argues Phoenix should have held a public hearing, while city officials maintain the site was rezoned in 1997 for a category that permits data centers.
Mayes offered no timetable or specific enforcement plan but said investigators, experts and attorneys were reviewing the complaints. She has separately called for a statewide moratorium on data center construction, citing projected pressure on Arizona's water supplies, electricity costs, noise and heat. The Legislature and Gov. Katie Hobbs have imposed a three-year moratorium on state tax incentives for data centers, while Phoenix's Planning and Development Department says it is tightening oversight and will not authorize construction outside permitted hours.