Oro Valley is on the verge of becoming the only town in a 13-jurisdiction Arizona survey to flatly prohibit large-scale data centers, with a Town Council public hearing set for tonight at 6 p.m. The proposed zoning-code amendments would block facilities using 20 megawatts or more of electric power while still allowing smaller, ancillary server rooms tucked inside existing buildings in specified zones.
The Oro Valley Planning and Zoning Commission was scheduled to consider the draft language Tuesday, a day ahead of the council’s special meeting and public hearing, according to Tucson Local Media. That hearing is set for the town council chambers at 11000 N. La Canada, where the proposal would make Oro Valley the only one of 13 researched Arizona jurisdictions to prohibit large-scale data centers outright, per a staff report cited in the same account.
A Vice Mayor’s Push for Speed
The push for tighter rules traces back to Oro Valley’s Oct. 7 council meeting, where Vice Mayor and Mayor-elect Melanie Barrett first raised the issue. She said she wanted to act as expeditiously as possible to close potential zoning-code loopholes, and she specifically requested a code amendment making clear that data centers are not allowed by right in any Oro Valley zoning district, the outlet’s reporting shows.
Barrett also asked that any new code address noise, water, energy and other data-center concerns, and she requested a moratorium on data centers to the degree possible while the new rules are being considered. Those requests set the pace for the rapid-fire sequence of meetings culminating in tonight’s hearing.
Where Data Centers Are Currently Allowed
Under existing rules, Oro Valley permits potential data-center development on properties zoned commercial or technical park, the same article notes. That includes the Oro Valley Innovation Park, which sits within technical park zoning, along with lands on both sides of the Honeywell complex east of Oracle Road. Affected commercial zones are primarily located along Oracle Road near Tangerine and Rancho Vistoso, and along La Cholla and La Canada south of Naranja…