Gilbert, Arizona, Delays Vote on Proposed Data Center Rules Until November
Gilbert Town Council delayed a vote on proposed data center regulations until Nov. 12. The draft rules would impose a 650-foot residential setback, prohibit drinking water for cooling, limit zoning and height, and require sound and power studies. The council is acting before any new data center applications have been filed, amid concerns about water use, electricity demand and neighborhood impacts.
Gilbert Town Council postponed action on an amendment to the town’s land use code that would establish some of Arizona’s strictest data center rules. The proposal would limit facilities to Light Industrial and General Industrial zones, require a 650-foot buffer from homes, cap building height at 55 feet, mandate sound studies, and prohibit drinking water for cooling as well as open-loop evaporative systems and cooling towers. The council is scheduled to revisit the amendment on Nov. 12.
Gilbert currently has one data center, AZO1 Phoenix, a 14,000-square-foot US Signal facility at Sunrise Business Park, and no pending applications for additional facilities. Officials are nevertheless considering advance restrictions because of concerns about water supplies, grid demand and residential impacts. Experts cited in the coverage offered differing perspectives, with water policy expert Sarah Porter saying data centers are unlikely to destabilize Arizona’s water supply if local oversight and conservation are strong, while other analysts identified electricity demand as the more immediate concern.
The debate comes as Mesa, Phoenix and Peoria pursue their own data center safeguards. Separately, the Arizona Legislature approved a three-year moratorium on tax incentives for data centers, which Gov. Katie Hobbs signed.