Marana advances its rezoning for a Beale Infrastructure data center
Marana officials moved forward with rezoning for a data-center proposal connected to Beale Infrastructure, even as opponents and supporters continued to press for competing views on the projects’ impact on electricity rates, water use and growth.
After the Marana Town Council meeting on Tuesday, the council voted unanimously in favor of the rezoning, excluding council member Herb Kai, who was not present. In remarks during the meeting, Mayor Jon Post said, “Marana cannot be the community that ignores opportunities,” adding that “We are going to create an area in our community where jobs are going to come.”
Opponents filled the council chambers and held signs, including one asking how council members would pay their own electric bills if a data center spiked rates. Supporters in bright orange safety vests spoke during hours of public comment about trade jobs and economic growth.
A new fight over power, water and growth follows the approvals
Even with a steady move forward, the rezoning decision did not end the broader political and regulatory fight over data centers in Southern Arizona. The Arizona Attorney General’s office, the city of Tucson and local organizers filed petitions to rehear the energy agreement tied to the county data-center effort.
Sue Ritz, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran who opposed the data center, said she hopes to put forward a citizen referendum on the Marana rezoning vote. Ritz told the meeting that “The point of the referendum is to allow the citizens in the town of Marana to make a decision of what they want.” She also pointed to long-term cleanup costs tied to PFAS compounds, saying, “There are too many risks to the community that aren