A potential 2 million-square-foot data center dubbed Project Baccara has been endorsed for approval in Arizona. The scheme is proposed for land at West Olive Avenue and North Bullard Avenue in Arizona’s Maricopa County. Moreover, it was recommended for approval by the county’s planning and zoning commission from the meeting last week. DigitalBridge-backed developer Takanock has been identified behind the project. Furthermore, it is currently applying for a military compatibility permit because of the site’s proximity to the Luke Air Force Base.

This permit also requires approval from the county’s Board of Supervisors. It is set to consider the project in early May, according to a website for Project Baccara. If approved, Project Baccarra will consist of a 700MW natural gas power plant and two data centers. Moreover, documents submitted by Takanock show that each data center would span roughly one million sq ft (92,905 sqm) and be two stories high.

Other Projects

Data center projects are becoming prominent in Arizona such as the Vermaland La Osa, a proposed $33bn data center campus. The facility is to be strategically located between Phoenix and Tucson. Envisioned as the largest development of its kind in the United States, the project would cover 3,300 acres and deliver up to 3 gigawatts of power capacity. Designed to rival Northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley” — a hub known for attracting leading technology and cloud computing firms — the La Osa Project underscores the intensifying

Opposition on Project Baccara Data Center in Arizona

Despite the advancements, opposition on Project Baccara data center in Arizona is mounting with residents showing discontent. A private Facebook group titled ‘Project Baccara Opposition Coalition – Community Group’ currently sports around 1,400 members. It also includes several posts about the data center that have been made in an unofficial public Facebook group for residents living in the city of Surprise, which is close to the Project Baccara site.

The controversies surrounding the campus in the West Valley seem to be taking its toll as many still feel discontent about the project’s development. Data center opposition across the United States seems to be taking root with many communities skeptical on their impact. The project had 6,472 signatures at Change.org at the time of writing.

According to Takanock, the company currently has four “active sites” in three states in the U.S. Furthermore, it has 2.8GW of IT capacity and 5.3GW of generation capacity. However, its website does not currently list any live data centers. The company raised $500m in June 2025 and is known to be developing in Northern Virginia.

Project Overview

• Project Name: Project Baccara
• Location: Maricopa County, Arizona (West Olive Avenue & North Bullard Avenue)
• Project Type: Data center campus with on-site power generation
• Timeline

Planning & zoning commission:

• Project endorsed for approval
• May (upcoming): Review by county Board of Supervisors
• Current phase: Permitting (military compatibility review pending)

Site & Scale

• Total Size: ~2 million sq ft
• Buildings: Two data centers (~1 million sq ft each)
• Height: Two stories per building
• Power: 700 MW natural gas power plant

Project Teams

• Developer: Takanock
• Investor: DigitalBridge

Key Requirements

• Military compatibility permit due to proximity to Luke Air Force Base
• Final approval required from county authorities

Strategic Objectives

• Expand hyperscale data center capacity
• Support growing cloud and AI demand
• Integrate dedicated on-site power generation

Challenges

• Local opposition from nearby communities
• Concerns over environmental and infrastructure impact

Current Status

• Recommended for approval by planning commission
• Awaiting final decision and permit approvals