Phoenix is touting a courtroom win over one of the state’s most prominent law firms in a fight over how far the city can go to shield neighborhoods from data centers. Mayor Kate Gallego said Wednesday that Phoenix secured what she called an important partial victory in a lawsuit brought by Snell & Wilmer on behalf of its data-center client, WBR, though she cautioned that the legal battle is far from over.
Gallego laid out the dispute in a social media post, writing that Snell & Wilmer
, which she described as Arizona’s largest law firm, is suing the city on behalf of WBR over Phoenix’s ability to protect neighborhoods from the negative impacts of data centers. “Today, we won an important partial victory in the case. There’s more work to do, but,” Gallego wrote, signaling that Phoenix still faces unresolved legal questions even after the win.
A City Already Tightening the Rules
The lawsuit lands against the backdrop of a broader push by Phoenix to rein in where and how data centers can operate near homes. Last summer, the City Council approved an ordinance making it harder to build new data centers near neighborhoods and other sensitive areas, according to azfamily.com. That same report notes the city has nonetheless issued waivers in some cases, allowing projects to move forward despite the ordinance…