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DATE: 3/3/26 TO: Planning & Zoning Commission From: Joel Landis, Planner SUBJECT: Z250024 – HEGIC South Agenda Item: 3 Staff has received feedback from the applicant regarding certain aspects of the staff report. The changes regard ensuring that the requested use is for a gas generating facility rather than a data center. Staff agrees with these requested changes. The changes are to paragraphs one and thirteen and are as follows: 1. The applicant, Keith Nichter, is requesting to amend the IND-2 IUPD zoning for the Harquahala Energy Generation & Industrial Campus (HEGIC South). This will allow for a data center use gas generating facilities on a 690 697.77-acre portion of four parcels of the overall 9,048 acre Harquahala Sun III-IV site. The subject site is designated as a ‘Utilities’ land use per Maricopa County’s Vision 2030 Comprehensive Plan ( CPA2021010). There is not a precise plan of development at this time, but will be submitted for administrative approval prior to construction permitting. 13. Staff notes that the proposed amendment requests "all uses permitted in the IND-2 zoning district" as allowed uses. This can be problematic as most general industrial uses will require public water and wastewater. However this site and surrounding area is an industrial area characterized by power generation, storage and distribution uses for which wastewater can be accommodated via septic systems. One of the proposed new uses are data centers gas generating facilities. These can be appropriate when located remove from residential neighborhoods. It is appropriate to locate them in conjunction with power generation and storage due to their high power demand. Staff recommends approval of the amended IND 2 IUPD zoning but with condition that IND-2 entitled uses are limited to those that can be accommodated via onsite wastewater and water until sewer and water system connections are available to the site. The site is already zoned industrial which is consistent with area land use and development patterns.