MESA, AZ — Neighbors Frank Brontsema and Anson Gilbert call the Mesquite Canyon neighborhood in Mesa home and have enjoyed the peace, tranquility, and convenience the community offers for several years.
"It's just a beautiful, nice, quiet community," Brontsema stated.
That may soon change as a nearly 1.4 million square foot vacant lot located south of the neighborhood may be home to CyrusOne's second data center in the Valley and the first in Mesa.
Several Mesquite Canyon homeowners attended the City of Mesa's Planning and Zoning board meeting on July 24 to express their concerns on the project, saying they felt left in the dark with the planning.
"They claimed to have a meeting on June 24, when only one person showed up," Brontsema claimed. "Not a single person in this entire neighborhood got a notice of that."
Another concern the neighbors had was the proposed height and proximity of the data center buildings, potentially towering nearly thirty feet above Mesa's Zoning Ordinance of forty feet.
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"That's thirty feet closer than those other buildings and a heck of a lot taller," Gilbert said. "This is huge."
The data center would fall under the City's Planned Employment Park category, meaning it could be built higher with a permit approval.
In a 4-3 decision, the board approved CyrusOne's request for a height exemption, much to the dismay of Gilbert and Brontsema.
In a statement, the City of Mesa stated that the board balances the growth and development of the City with our laws and the community's concerns.
"I'm not against data centers, just don't build it in my damn backyard," Brontsema exclaimed.
