Re-sized data center in Mesa sails to approval

EdgeCore will build a much smaller 1.2 million square foot data center in southeast Mesa, Arizona after cutting its original plan by nearly half. The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board approved the modified project, which was scaled back to accommodate an SRP substation located on the site. The board had originally approved EdgeCore's site plan in 2024 for three 95-foot-tall data center buildings totaling 2.1 million square feet. The new plan reduces the project to two 618,480-square-foot multi-story buildings with 197 parking spaces. Approval came with conditions including a noise analysis, restrictions on generator testing hours, and requirements to install murals and screening elements. The data center site is located in the Eastmark master-planned community between existing Apple and Meta data centers. While data centers have proliferated in the Mesa area, local officials have expressed concerns about losing land that could be used for higher-density job creators. The city recently adopted regulations restricting data centers to certain industrial zones.