Diak Challenges Incumbent Councilors on 500-Acre Data Center, Warning of a New 'Indigo Ridge'
A political debate in Page, Arizona, centers on a controversial 500-acre land sale for a proposed 1,000-megawatt data center to Huntley LLC, a subsidiary of Hollybrook. Former mayor Bill Diak is challenging incumbent council members, warning against the project due to concerns over water scarcity from the Colorado River and past development failures. Incumbents defend the preliminary land deal, citing economic diversification, while Diak criticizes the financial risks and environmental impact.
At a recent candidate forum in Page, Arizona, a significant philosophical divide emerged regarding the city's future, particularly concerning a proposed 1,000-megawatt data center project. Former Page mayor Bill Diak is actively challenging incumbent city council members over their October 2025 preliminary approval to sell 500 acres of municipal land near Horseshoe Bend to Huntley LLC, a subsidiary of Hollybrook, for the data center.
Diak, running against the incumbents, anchored his platform on the critical issue of the shrinking Colorado River water supply, arguing that local growth plans must align with regional environmental realities and warning against repeating past municipal development failures like "Indigo Ridge." He expressed skepticism that the data center would ever be built, fearing the land would be tied up and undeveloped, similar to a prior corporate commitment.
In contrast, incumbent council members defended the controversial land sale, emphasizing the need for aggressive economic diversification to stabilize the city's finances beyond tourism. They framed the transaction as a highly guarded, non-final deal, asserting that all technical and infrastructure costs fall to the developer during the current feasibility phase. The debate highlighted two competing visions for Page's future: one prioritizing speculative industrial revenue and the other focusing on conserving finite public resources and ensuring fiscal stability through prudent planning rather than land sales.