Pima County Data Center Zoning Rules: What to Know
Pima County is drafting zoning rules for large data centers amid resident concerns about noise, water use, environmental impacts and power demand. Supervisors approved a 120-day pause on new data-center development in unincorporated areas, and the proposed code is scheduled for a Planning and Zoning Commission hearing in October and a Board of Supervisors vote in December.
Pima County is developing new rules for data centers larger than 25 acres, including limits to CI-2 zoning, a Type 3 conditional use permit, public hearings, noise restrictions, setbacks and a ban on open-loop cooling. The draft would also require developers to demonstrate adequate water supplies and regulate generator testing, while clean energy would be encouraged but not mandated.
The rulemaking follows a 120-day moratorium on qualifying new data-center development in unincorporated areas, approved by the Pima County Board of Supervisors. Residents submitted between 1,200 and 1,500 comments, with many expressing general opposition. The proposed code could affect projects such as Project Gravel near Sahuarita and Beale Infrastructure's Project Blue near the Pima County Fairgrounds, although the county has not determined whether the new standards would apply to projects that submitted permits before the pause.