Controversial West Valley data center wins approval despite 225 opposition letters

A controversial data center project in the West Valley is moving ahead.

BY HAILEY MENSIK/PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL

Apr 12, 2026, 5:01 AM Updated: May 1, 2026, 10:05 am

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A controversial data center project in the West Valley is moving ahead.

Maricopa County’s Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a military special use permit for Project Baccara – a massive data center campus and accompanying gas power plant during an April 9 meeting.

The developer on the project, Takanock LLC, is a Michigan-based data center firm with four sites in three states. Across those sites it is investing $36 billion to prepare the land and build out massive new campuses, according to the company.

The 160-acre site it’s working on in the West Valley is adjacent to Luke Air Force Base and just outside the city limits of Surprise and Glendale.

This story is posted in partnership with Phoenix Business Journal. Click to read the full story.