By Real Estate Daily News
Editor’s note (August 15, 2025): The debate over Project Blue isn’t over. The conversation continues with Amber Smith’s op-ed, taking aim at Tucson’s decision, warning of lasting consequences for the region’s economic future, and the need for collaboration instead of confrontation. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Project Blue was a once-in-a-generation opportunity: a $3.6 billion data-center campus promising 3,000 construction jobs, 180 permanent positions averaging $64,000 a year, and a major investment in reclaimed water infrastructure, including an 18-mile pipeline and aquifer recharge facility. This wasn’t a vague proposal—it was the product of years of due diligence and negotiation, with concrete commitments that would have strengthened Tucson’s infrastructure for decades.
And yet, on August 6, the Tucson City Council abruptly shut it down. In a meeting that devolved into jeers, shouting, and victory chants from opponents, council members voted unanimously to end all talks and halt annexation. The developers walked out. The scene wasn’t a model of civic engagement—it was a display of disrespect that made national headlines, not for our vision, but for our inability to uphold basic decorum.
This failure isn’t just about one project. It’s about a pattern. Tucson’s leadership says they want to fund transformative priorities: free public transit, housing the unhoused, higher pay for public safety, and safer roads. But there are only two ways to do that—grow the tax base or raise taxes.
Last spring, voters overwhelmingly rejected Proposition 414, a sales tax increase for public safety, housing, and climate resilience, by a 70–30 margin. The message was clear: residents don’t trust the city to prioritize core services like parks, police, fire, and road maintenance over feel-good policies.
