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Council approves two data‑center related actions amid neighborhood opposition in Ahwatukee and Encanto
Summary
After extensive public comment, Phoenix City Council approved an easement abandonment tied to a large Thistle Landing data‑center campus and granted a waiver for a separate 5C adaptive re‑use data center; residents raised noise, health and procedural concerns while applicants and staff said entitlements predated the data‑center ordinance and cited mitigation measures.
Phoenix City Council on July 1 approved two separate items tied to data‑center development after extended public testimony that included residents’ health and noise concerns as well as pro‑development arguments about jobs and investment.
On item 77 the council approved abandonment of a drainage easement associated with a planned 257‑megawatt campus at Thistle Landing Drive after neighbors urged the council to hold the item pending answers to more than 30 written questions submitted to planning staff. Residents said the development — five buildings and nearly 1,000,000 square feet as described by opponents — sits near homes, daycares and senior facilities and that an independent acoustic study predicts the facility as designed could exceed the city’s 55‑decibel standard.
The city and the applicant’s representatives said the site had preliminary entitlement before the city’s data‑center ordinance and argued the easement abandonment is a technical step that does not change the project scope. Zoning counsel Nick Woods told council the property was zoned for commerce park uses for years and that the ordinance’s applicability provisions exempt projects with earlier preliminary approvals. After discussion the council approved the abandonment and related resolution (roll call recorded as 8–1).
Separately, on item 89 the council considered a waiver request for a smaller adaptive‑reuse site proposed by 5C Data Centers (a 7‑acre site). Supporters described local economic benefits and long‑term local jobs in the range of 30–50 on‑site positions. Residents and neighborhood advocates again raised concerns about water, noise, property values and the fairness of applying the 2025 ordinance to older entitlements. Applicant representatives described mitigation commitments including setbacks, enhanced landscaping, a publicly accessible pocket park and a community fund. The council approved the waiver on a roll call vote reported as 8–1.
Speakers on both items noted tradeoffs: residents emphasized potential impacts (noise, infrasound, diesel generator use and lithium‑battery fire risks), while applicants and some local business proponents said the projects would create construction and operations jobs and reuse inactive industrial property. Several council members urged continued outreach and asked staff to respond to outstanding community questions.
Both votes illustrate ongoing tensions in Phoenix policy as the council balances economic development and energy/water/resource constraints with neighborhood impacts and newly enacted data‑center controls.
