Data Centers in Buckeye: Understanding the Facts

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As one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, Buckeye is uniquely positioned to plan how our community develops. At 640 square miles and only 16% built out, city leadership is committed to balancing economic opportunity while protecting our resources.

We understand that residents have valid questions regarding data centers, water security and power infrastructure. This page serves as a transparent, fact-based resource to address common misconceptions and outline exactly how the city protects your neighborhoods and resources.

Buckeye's Data Center Handout

What is a Data Center?

A data center is the physical infrastructure that powers our digital world. While we often talk about saving information to "the cloud," that data actually lives in secure, specialized buildings.

Think about everything you access on your phone, tablet or computer. Your family photos, emails, digital notes and essential documents don’t float in the air, they reside in data centers.

From the connected features in the cars we drive, to the local businesses manufacturing and selling goods, nearly every 21st-century service relies on data centers to stay connected, safe and efficient.

Inside look at a data center showing racks with computers

Where Can Data Centers Be Built in Buckeye

Currently, there are no data centers operating in Buckeye, however, potential future sites are being discussed within areas designated for employment and industrial development, consistent with the city's long-term planning efforts. These locations are intentionally planned away from residential neighborhoods and placed near major transportation corridors where they can support long-term economic growth.

Data center development in Buckeye is currently being discussed at these three locations:

Buckeye Tech Corridor

Location: Along Interstate 10, west of the Buckeye Municipal Airport

This is a proposed conversion of a previously approved residential master-planned community into a technology and employment hub, located far west of existing residential areas.

Water Reduction: Under its original residential zoning, this land was entitled for about 9,700 homes, which would consume roughly 4,500 acre-feet of water per year. As a tech corridor, water use drops to approximately 2,000 acre-feet annually, a cap built directly into the development agreement.
Community Benefits: The development agreement also includes land dedications for public safety, water and wastewater infrastructure and a $15 million developer contribution toward the future Johnson Road interchange.

Buckeye Tech Location on a map

Grand View

Location: MC-85 and Verrado Way

Grand View Arizona is a 2,500 acre mega site that can accommodate around 300 acres in data center development, however, data centers are not the main focus of this area.

The Vision: The developer's primary marketing focus for this large-scale hub is advanced manufacturing, logistics and industrial job creation.
The Strategy: The goal is to bring high-quality, long-term career opportunities closer to home, diversifying our local tax base and reducing the daily commute for Buckeye residents.

Grand View Location on a map

Former Hydrogen Hub Plant

Location: Near SR-85 and Patterson Road

Located well south of the core of the city, this site is completely removed from established residential areas.

Private Resources: This property will not be served by Buckeye’s municipal water system; it relies entirely on its own private water supply.
Agricultural Transition: Transitioning this specific parcel away from historic farming to an industrial employment use helps reduce overall regional groundwater pumping.

Hydrogen Location on a map

Water Security

Data center water consumption is dictated by the type of technology used. Cooling methods fall into three categories:

Air-cooled: Uses zero water for cooling. Used heavily in water-stressed regions, like Arizona.
Closed-loop liquid cooling: Water circulates internally in a sealed system. Once filled at construction, can reduce freshwater consumption by up to 70%.
Evaporative cooling: The most water-intensive method, used historically due to it being energy-efficient and cost effective.

Data Center in eastern Phoenix region with desert landscape and cityscape behind it The claim that data centers will drain our local water supply relies on outdated, decades-old technology. Modern tech designs, combined with the strict requirements Buckeye demands, can reduce on-site water consumption to near zero.

Buckeye takes water security and long-term resource management seriously, making sure new industry projects do not drain our water supply. The city has enough designated water resources to support decades of planned growth. To keep it that way, city leadership continues to aggressively pursue additional long-term water solutions, supporting Ag-to-Urban water conversions and investing heavily in renewable water infrastructure to protect future generations.

Fact vs. Fiction

Data Centers Will Drain Buckeye’s Water Supply

Many public discussions rely on outdated information from older facilities. Modern data centers utilize advanced closed-loop cooling, air-cooled or hybrid systems and water recycling technologies that dramatically reduce consumption.

Buckeye protects its resources by building strict water usage caps directly into development agreements. In many cases, converting historical agricultural land to employment use actually reduces overall groundwater consumption.

My Electricity Bills Will Go up Because of Data Centers

Data centers require significant power, but Buckeye is working with utilities and developers to identify solutions. This includes requiring large energy users to fund the infrastructure needed to serve their projects, so growth-related costs are not shifted to current customers. This approach helps:

Protect fair and stable energy prices.
Maintain reliable service during peak demand.
Strengthen Arizona’s energy grid and transmission system.
Support investment in a balanced energy portfolio.

Data Centers Don’t Benefit Residents and Are Just Empty Buildings

Data centers are the invisible backbone of the modern economy. Every time you use cell phone service, access online banking, stream a video, work from home or utilize emergency dispatch and telehealth services, you are relying on data centers.

Economically, they generate significant, long-term tax revenue that funds local parks, roads and public safety, all while requiring very low demand on daily city services.

Data Centers Are Noisy, Hot and Hurt Nearby Property Values

Modern facilities are generally quieter and generate less external heat impact than traditional heavy industrial uses or large fulfillment warehouses. Heat is contained and managed internally, and noise from cooling systems is mitigated via strict architectural setbacks, sound-dampening walls and heavy landscaping buffers.

Studies show that modern data centers do not negatively impact residential property values. Because they operate with low-profile, downward-facing lighting and generate minimal daily employee traffic, they function as quiet, unobtrusive neighbors.

Data Centers Do Not Help the Local Economy

While it’s true that a finished data center doesn't require a massive on-site workforce, its economic power is the ripple effect it has on a community. For every single direct job a data center brings in, another seven to eight indirect jobs are created.

The Construction: Building these facilities is a massive, multi-year undertaking. It keeps hundreds of local contractors, electricians and tradespeople working for years before the doors even open.

The Supply Chain: Data centers require a steady stream of specialized materials, equipment and ongoing maintenance. The manufacturers and suppliers providing these goods see a huge boost, allowing them to expand and hire hundreds of their own workers.

Data centers bring in massive tax revenue for city infrastructure, all while injecting millions of dollars into the local ecosystem through the businesses that support them.

Managing Buckeye’s rapid growth responsibly means being strategic. By intentionally zoning employment hubs away from neighborhoods, we secure high-paying jobs and strengthen the city's tax base. This revenue is exactly what allows us to continuously invest in the infrastructure, roads, public safety and quality-of-life amenities that make Buckeye a premier community to live, work and play.