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Residents urge pause on proposed NT data center, citing water, health and transparency concerns
Summary
Three Mesa residents told the council they oppose a proposed large NT data center, citing scarce water resources, potential health and community impacts near Legacy Sports Park, and insufficient developer outreach; speakers asked the council to require fuller environmental and fiscal study before approving the project.
Mesa — Several residents used the June 8 public-comment period to urge the Mesa City Council to slow consideration of a proposed NT data center and demand fuller study of water, infrastructure and community impacts.
Jim Beck, a resident of East Mark, said the project—described in public remarks as a campus of seven buildings occupying roughly 170 acres and more than 2 million square feet—would add to more than 4 million square feet of existing data centers in the city. "We live in a desert with limited water availability, extreme heat, and our infrastructure is already under pressure," Beck said, asking the council to require a detailed environmental and fiscal study before committing public resources.
Nathan Taylor, a Mesa High School student, warned data-center cooling systems can use millions of gallons of water each year and said approving more resource-intensive facilities risks residents' access to water. "Water supply is a real issue in Arizona and AI data centers jeopardize our water security," Taylor said, urging the council to prioritize community needs over developer proposals.
Braden Peters raised additional concerns about health effects and proximity to heavily used recreation facilities. He noted the site is near Legacy Sports Park, which the speaker said draws millions of visitors annually, and argued the city should ensure broad community notice and involvement before approvals.
What they asked for — Speakers asked the council to slow the process, demand transparent community engagement from developers, require an independent environmental impact review and disclose whether tax incentives would be granted. Jim Beck specifically asked that the city share the full cost picture for substations, road improvements and utility upgrades before any commitment.
Council action — These remarks were delivered during the citizen-comment period; the transcript shows no formal council vote or staff action on the NT data center during the June 8 meeting.
Next steps — Residents asked for earlier and broader community outreach and a public study of resource, infrastructure and fiscal impacts before the council takes any approval action.
