Attachment C - Data Center Handout

Attachment C - Data Center Regulation Comparisons 
Regulatory 
Conditions 
Goodyear (Proposed) 
Phoenix 
Mesa 
Chandler 
Tempe 
Marana 
Tucson  
(under development) 
Maricopa County 
Definition 
Facility or portion of 
facility; network computer 
systems; remote storage, 
processing, data 
distribution 
Facility used for energy 
storage distribution and 
associated equipment, 
excludes accessory 
conditions 
Very broad facility; advance 
operations (AI, blockchain, 
crypto, modeling) 
Facility or portion of 
facility; network computer 
systems; data storage, 
processing, distribution 
Very broad facility; primary 
service is data processing 
or data storage and houses 
computer systems and 
associated components 
Broad facility; servers, 
utilities, data 
management 
Facility, multiple 
facilities, or portion of a 
facility; gross floor area 
greater than 50,000 SF 
or uses greater than 50 
MW of energy, housing 
networked computer 
systems 
Facility primarily used for 
the processing, 
management, or storage 
of digital information, 
housing computer 
servers, data storage 
equipment, and related 
infrastructure. 
Where 
Allowed 
Permitted with Conditions 
in I-1 & I-2; accessory 
allowed with limits 
Permitted with conditions 
in C-2, C-3, CP/GCP, A-1 
and A-2 (w/ a special 
permit) 
Principal use in PAD; 
accessory allowed under 
conditions  
Principal use in PAD only; 
accessory allowed with 
limits 
Principal use in the MU-ED, 
GID, and HID with a use 
permit 
Principal via Specific 
Plan (PAD); accessory 
use in LI/HI 
Special exception I-2, 
PAD or PCD. Increased 
Notification Radius to 
all property owners 
within ½ mile and all 
HOA’s within 2 miles 
Permitted use with a Plan 
of Development (POD) 
approval within IND-2 
(general industrial and 
IND-3 (heavy industrial) 
Site & Bldg. 
Design 
Setbacks residential (300’), 
screening, underground 
utilities, landscape buffers, 
building mass/height limits 
Setbacks (150’ from ROW 
or residentially zoned 
property), screening, 
landscape setback, 
enhanced architecture, 
lines 12k and below 
underground 
Setbacks residential 
(400’)/non-residential 
(base stds), PAD standards, 
landscape buffers, 
massing/façade 
treatments; flexible via 
PAD 
Setbacks, screened 
equipment, landscaping, 
architectural treatments 
Setbacks residential use or 
district (500’), must comply 
with use permit approval 
criteria 
Setbacks residential 
(400’), non-residential 
(100”), screening, 
underground utilities, 
landscape buffers, 
building mass/height 
limits  
2,640 feet of separation 
from urban residential 
zones and noise-
sensitive uses (e.g., 
schools) ; 1,000 feet of 
separation from 
commercial or office 
zones 
No special considerations 
Noise 
Baseline; Compliance & 
Monitoring request; 
mitigation 
Facility and associated 
equipment will not exceed 
55 DB(A) between set 
hours and 45 DB(A) at night 
General operational 
compliance; enforcement 
tied to occupancy 
Baseline + post-
construction + annual 
monitoring; mitigation; 
liaison 
Generators shall be located 
within an enclosed building 
to reduce impacts on noise 
Baseline + post-
construction + annual 
monitoring; max level by 
use 
Baseline + annual 
monitoring; max level by 
use 
No special considerations 
Backup 
Power 
Screened/setback; must 
meet noise limits; website 
Screened/setback; must 
meet noise limits 
Covered under 
operational/PAD review 
Restricted hours, notice, 
sound mitigation 
See above 
Diesel Tier IV, 
emergency use, limited 
hours 
Diesel Tier IV generator, 
emergency use only, 
limited hours 
No special considerations 
Water & 
Utilities 
Electric & Water source 
documentation 
Energy will serve letter, 
additional studies as 
requested (water, fire, 
hazardous materials 
Reviewed during PAD/special 
approval 
Considered during PAD 
review 
“Extreme-Water Use” shall 
submit a water use plan 
Must demonstrate 
adequate electricity/ 
water; potable water 
prohibited for cooling 
Must demonstrate 
adequate electricity/ 
water and disclose energy 
demand;  additional water 
regs for large users (over 
10K ccf) 
No special considerations 
Parking 
Reduced parking ratio w/ 
adequate space for 
expansion 
Minimum distance from 
transit; streetscape/shaded 
paths 
Minimum parking ratios 
defined 
Minimum parking ratios 
defined 
No special considerations 
No special considerations 
Righted sized parking 
standards to reduce 
paved surfaces 
No special considerations

Municipalities that do not currently have a standalone “data center ordinance”: Scottsdale, Glendale, Peoria. Overall, these municipalities generally regulate data center facilities using existing industrial and 
commercial zoning/development standards, which focus on aligning projects with city codes, infrastructure capacity, and, increasingly, sustainable water usage. Town of Gilbert is currently looking into preparing a text 
amendment to the town’s Land Development Code to create new standards and procedures for data center development. 
 
Alternative Data Center Development Model: Project Baccara, Maricopa County (Obtained Certificate of Environmental Compatibility from ACC on 2/4/26 for power plant ( subject to ARS 40-360.06: Factors to be 
considered in issuing a certificate of environmental compatibility), P&Z Commission Approved project application 4/9/26, BOS scheduled for early May) – Developers are seeking to build a 700-megawatt gas-fired power 
plant to fuel a data center project on a 160-acre site. Project Baccara is offering an alternative to the typical data center model, which can strain the existing power grid and contribute to rising utility costs. The developer is 
pursuing a BYOP (bring your own power) approach. Eventually, their plan is to hook the power plant up to the grid as a peaker source during times of high demand.