Metro Phoenix’s data center boom just punched the accelerator again, with two huge projects moving through the pipeline on opposite sides of the Valley. Out by Luke Air Force Base, Takanock is pitching Project Baccara, a power-heavy complex with its own natural-gas plant. Across town in Mesa, NTT Global Data Centers is quietly reshaping its deep-pocketed Elliot Road campus. Together, the moves highlight how Arizona’s rise as a hyperscale hotspot is colliding with neighborhood worries about noise, pollution and quality of life.
Project Baccara Would Marry Massive Compute With Its Own Power Plant
Takanock is targeting about 160 acres at West Olive Avenue and North Bullard, north of Luke Air Force Base, for Project Baccara. The concept calls for two two-story data halls of roughly 1 million square feet each, along with an 18-unit natural-gas generation facility of about 700 megawatts on roughly 23.7 acres, according to the Project Baccara fact sheet. The developer’s materials say the full buildout could support around 1,000 construction jobs and about 200 permanent positions, and note that a Maricopa County permit and a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility application have already been filed.
Neighbors And Local Groups Push Back
Opposition in the West Valley is already organized and growing. An online petition against Project Baccara is closing in on 5,000 signatures, and a Facebook opposition group has topped 1,000 members, ABC15 reports. Neighbors told the station they are worried about around-the-clock noise, air quality issues and spillover impacts from a large generator complex near homes. Project representatives counter that the development would deliver new tax revenue, stable jobs and a stronger local power backbone.
NTT Tweaks Mesa Campus Design
On the other side of the Valley in Mesa, NTT Global Data Centers has submitted a fresh design for its PH6 building on the Elliot Road campus. The updated plan merges buildings six and seven into a single 195,400-square-foot, two-story structure, trimming the campus from seven buildings to six, Data Center Dynamics reports. Filings say the revised building will “The proposed PH6 design will maintain the same building height as the existing buildings on campus. The building will remain a two-story data center, with two administrative blocks that will be South and East facing. This new orientation allows for enhanced facades along East Elliot Road and the Basin 114 Park.” while adding two administrative blocks facing East Elliot Road and Basin 114 Park. NTT’s corporate materials and local reporting also note the company bought roughly 173 acres at Pecos and Crismon in March 2025 as part of a broader Mesa buildout.
Why Power Is Central And Why Residents Care
Takanock describes itself as a power-first platform backed by ArcLight and DigitalBridge with a $500 million commitment, designed to match land and on-site generation so hyperscale customers can shorten their “time to power,” according to DigitalBridge. That strategy helps explain why Project Baccara includes a large natural-gas plant baked into the site plan. It also sharpens local unease. Luke Air Force Base has a documented history of soil and groundwater contamination and previously sat on the Superfund National Priorities List, per the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, which makes any new heavy infrastructure nearby an instant flashpoint.
Regulatory Path And What To Watch
The Baccara power plant is already on the state’s radar. A pre-filing conference pegs the project as a 700 megawatt natural-gas generating facility (docket L-21369A-25-0222-00253) and logs hearing dates for Dec. 1 to 5, 2025, according to the project’s pre-filing transcript. The team still needs multiple layers of Maricopa County approval, including a Military Compatibility Permit because of its proximity to Luke AFB. Both county and state reviews will involve public hearings and technical studies that could alter the timing or even the final shape of what gets built…