• The draft would limit data centres to light-industrial sites and remove routes for modified development standards
  • Potable-water cooling would be barred, while projects would require 650-foot residential setbacks and access to an existing or planned substation

The fact

Gilbert, Arizona, is weighing new rules for future data-centre projects. Town officials said no applications were pending when the proposal was introduced. A Planning Commission hearing was scheduled for 5 August, with the Town Council expected to consider the changes on 1 September. The commission’s recommendation had not been published at the time of writing. The draft would remove business parks as an eligible zoning category, limiting data centres to light-industrial sites.

Under the proposal, developers would lose two routes for seeking exceptions: planned-area modifications and special-use permits. Data centres could not connect to Gilbert’s potable-water system or use open-loop evaporative cooling. Sites would also need to be at least 400 feet from adjoining properties and 650 feet from homes, have access to an existing or planned substation, and include a sound study and mitigation plan.

The assessment

The proposal would require developers to resolve several questions before treating a site as viable. Industrial zoning, sufficient distance from homes and access to a substation would become fixed site-selection requirements rather than issues that might be addressed later in the approval process.

Removing planned-area modifications and special-use permits would also leave less scope for exceptions. A site that failed the zoning or setback requirements would be more likely to require a substantial redesign or be dropped altogether. The water provisions would similarly push cooling decisions earlier, because projects could not rely on Gilbert’s drinking-water network or open-loop evaporative systems.

For BTW readers, the rules would not prevent data-centre development, but they would narrow the pool of suitable sites. Developers would need to assess zoning, setbacks, power access and cooling design together before committing heavily to land, engineering and permitting.

What to watch

The Planning Commission’s recommendation will show whether the proposal advances unchanged. The Town Council is expected to consider it on 1 September. The final text should clarify whether the setback, water and approval restrictions remain, and how they apply to expansions, existing facilities and projects already under discussion.