At its July 2 meeting, the Phoenix mayor and city council approved updates to the city’s zoning ordinance to add data centers as a permitted use that must address health and safety concerns when applying for a special permit for construction.
“As Phoenix continues to flourish as a hub for high-tech jobs and industry, these updates establish requirements and a framework to address health and safety concerns resulting from data centers,” the city said in a released statement.
City officials explained that, since data centers were historically of similar scope and size to an office space or telecommunication facility, Phoenix’s zoning ordinance had not explicitly provided guidelines for data centers.
“In recent years, data centers have rapidly evolved into larger, complex, industrial-sized facilities with the potential for significant negative impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. Modern data centers are energy-intensive operations with specialized, sensitive equipment, high-voltage infrastructure, and intense power demands that require challenging fire safety issues to be addressed. The framework helps ensure that data centers are thoughtfully located, designed to address health and safety concerns, and developed in collaboration with key partners, including utility providers and first responders.”
The updated ordinance introduces new definitions and a Special Permit process that addresses potential health and safety impacts. These impacts include, but are not limited to, power grid reliability, fire risk, emergency response access, and noise impacts.
“Phoenix is not banning data centers; we’re planning for them responsibly,” said Planning and Development director Josh Bednarek. “The new process requires earlier discussions with city staff for each new facility to evaluate its location and ensure health and safety concerns are met to protect residents and the surrounding community.”
