Data center proposed in Peoria

By Philip Haldiman
Mail | X: @PhilipHaldiman

A proposal for a data center at 75th Avenue and Butler Drive is being reviewed by Peoria’s Planning and Zoning Department.

Panning Director Chris Jacques said Aligned Data Centers Propco has submitted plans for dual two-story data center buildings totaling about 916,000 square feet on 95 acres at the southwest corner of the intersection, with a future phase extending toward Northern Avenue.

The property is 1,500 feet from the nearest residential. It is  zoned light industrial and legacy place planned-area development, both of which allow data centers as a permitted use. Officials say the property has held industrial zoning for decades, and as a permitted use, it will not come forward for a public hearing. 

The facility would be near existing industrial facilities such as the Frito-Lay manufacturing plant and a Trader Joe’s distribution center.

The application was submitted in March and has completed its first review cycle. Once approved, the applicant may submit construction plans for review, Jacques said.

There are no other data centers currently in the pipeline, he added

“The site plan review process is administrative and is intended to verify that the concept plan and technical reports comply with zoning and regulatory requirements, including the city’s large water users ordinance,” he said.

Data centers house IT infrastructure for building, running and delivering applications and services, and serve as a backbone of the internet, allowing for universal use.

The facilities have come under fire lately, as Gov. Katie Hobbs has pushed to repeal tax incentives and impose new water use fees, and received opposition from residents.

Senior News Editor Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on X @philiphaldiman. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@inusua.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria

phaldiman@iniusa.org

Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.

Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater. 

Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.

Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.