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Entrada developer outlines 10,000-acre master plan; data center and airport among proposed uses
Summary
Entrada developer Al Barbarich and consultant Kathy Taggart Hicks told the Mohave County Board of Supervisors the 10,000-acre Entrada project south of Hoover Dam is advancing master water, wastewater, drainage and geotechnical studies and plans initial industrial development around 2027 with residential phases later.
Developer representatives for Entrada briefed the Mohave County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16, describing a long-range, largely privately-funded plan for roughly 10,000 acres about 25 miles south of Hoover Dam that calls for industrial, logistics, airport, residential and open-space land uses.
Why it matters: Entrada is a major privately proposed development with the potential to add industrial acreage, a runway/airport feasibility, a data center site and later residential neighborhoods. If built as described, Entrada would shape long-term growth patterns and infrastructure needs in northern Mohave County.
What the developers presented
- Scope and financing: Al Barbarich, developer of Entrada, said the project covers about 10,000 acres at the Arizona entrance from Nevada and that he has funded early planning out of pocket. He said the project remains debt-free at this stage.
- Infrastructure studies completed: The team reported completed master water and wastewater studies (Atwell Engineering), hydrology and water analysis (Clear Creek Associates), a master drainage (Detrital Wash basin) and an ALTA survey. The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) issued adequacy statements split north/south, confirming water adequacy for 200 years for the submitted parcels; developers said they received ADWR approval in September of the prior year.
- Airport and industrial focus: Kaufman Associates completed feasibility work for a potential airport (a 9,000-foot existing dirt runway is on site) and proposed layouts useful for industrial/logistics sites. The initial commercial focus is on industrial and logistics facilities to produce jobs before residential construction.
- Data center interest and power plans: Developer Al Barbarich and consultant Kathy Taggart Hicks said Entrada is in contract with Clean Cloud Energy for a potential data center site. The plan would pair daytime renewable generation from an adjacent BLM solar-lease (Clean Cloud project north of Entrada) with nighttime power tied to the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) 345 kV transmission line from the Mead Substation; water for data-center cooling would rely on Entrada's ADWR groundwater allocation with recycling and treatment.
- Timeline: Developers estimated initial commercial development could begin in 2027, residential phases in 2028–29, and a multi-decade build-out timeline of 30–50 years. The data center could begin construction by 2028 if regulatory approvals and transmission interconnection proceed.
Board concerns and discussion
- Public land solar concerns: Multiple supervisors expressed opposition to large-scale solar on public lands in Mohave County. Supervisor Martin said he would not support converting 10,000 acres of public land to single-use solar near Entrada; other board members noted the county has previously filed formal comments opposing very large BLM solar proposals and that the county would remain engaged in federal reviews.
- Water, utilities and approvals: Staff and the developer said some approvals still depend on ADOT (for highway access/transportation study) and the Arizona Corporation Commission (for CCN/certificate of convenience and necessity for utilities). Developers said they are pursuing utility CCN work and plan to separate remaining legacy encumbrances to prepare utility filings.
Quotes
- "The project remains debt free," Al Barbarich, Entrada developer, told the board. "That gives us flexibility and control and we're not beholden to lenders at this point."
- "This center would source its own power and water and not use existing resources from the grid or municipalities," Kathy Taggart Hicks said about the proposed data center plan with Clean Cloud Energy.
Next steps and follow-up
- Developers said they will continue infrastructure permitting and remove legacy encumbrances, and that they expect to present additional approvals and abandonment requests for legacy rights of way and easements to the county in the coming months.
Ending: The board heard a multi-year, multi-phase plan emphasizing industrial and utility infrastructure first; supervisors asked staff to monitor federal BLM solar proposals and to coordinate utility and transportation reviews with ADWR and ADOT.
