(Photo via City of Mesa)
By Connor Van Ligten | YourValley
The Mesa Planning and Zoning Board voted 6-0 to approve a recommendation to the Mesa City Council regarding amendments to the Mesa City Code that will establish specific zoning regulations for data centers during its June 25 meeting. Board member Genessee Montes was absent.
The board at a June 11 meeting voted to continue the matter to the June 25 meeting.
The proposed text amendments will add a definition for data center to the Mesa city code and modify the definition of indoor warehousing and storage. It will also modify land use tables to permit data centers as an accessory use in commercial and employment districts, as well as principal use in the general industrial and heavy industrial zoning districts.
“Over the past six years, we have had 15 data centers that have been approved or proposed within the city,” Mesa planner Rachel Phillips said at a study session prior to the meeting. “This is to address the unique characteristics of data centers.”
Jordan Rose, founder and president of Rose Law Group who represents a variety of data center developers and hyperscalers, tells RLGR: “The city of Mesa appreciated the benefits and necessity of data centers and found ways to incorporate best practices into their ordinance. The result will be more aesthetically pleasing data centers in areas for that use.”
