Since Ordinance No. 5957 (adopted July 8, 2025), a standalone data center is allowed only in General Industrial (GI) or Heavy Industrial (HI) zoning, and only when City Council specifically authorizes it through a Planned Area Development (PAD) Overlay District.
Mesa previously reviewed data centers as "Indoor Warehousing and Storage." Ordinance No. 5957 replaced that interpretation, adding Section 11-31-36. A principal-use data center is not allowed by right; it is designated "SE" in GI (M-2) and HI districts and requires a Council-approved PAD Overlay. Light Industrial (LI/M-1) and Planned Employment Park (PEP) do not permit principal data centers. Section 11-31-36 imposes a 400-foot separation from residential, a 60-foot maximum height, all-sided architecture, glazing, and screening of mechanical equipment and ground-mounted substation gear. Applications require an operational plan, good-neighbor policy, water/thermal-management report, wastewater report, energy-service report, and an initial sound study. Data centers approved before the effective date are legal conforming uses; Eastmark is exempt from Section 11-31-36.
Civil sanctions run $150-$1,500 per citation, rising to $250-$2,500 (second offense within 24 months) and $500-$2,500 (third within 36 months). Each day is a separate offense; habitual offenders face a class 1 misdemeanor.
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