30 June 2019

The City of Mesa's "Sales-Pitch" To Lure Google BIG DATA CENTER Here with Tax Incentives


So far, the public has known few details
Scroll down to see new OZone Red Hawk Employment Opportunity District
Southeast Mesa District 6
There are Approved Minutes available that will take you a few minutes to take a look at - just enough extracted here for your interest. . .
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Bill Jabjiniak, the city's Director of the Office of Economic Development two days ago
 
 

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Back to March 20, 2019 when some thing was "not known at this time"
> 1 Phasing
The RHEOD is designed to accommodate the construction of buildings over time in response to technological advances and market conditions.

Accordingly, the 187-acre property will develop in phases, the timing and size of which are not known at this time.
> 2 This request will establish zoning to guide future development of employment and industrial uses.
APPLICANT: W. Ralph Pew, Pew & Lake, PLC
MULTIPLE OWNERS:
  • MBR Land I, an Arizona General Partnership
  • MBR Land I, LLP
  • B&K Land Investment Co., et al
  • Morrison Ranch, Inc.
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Existing General Plan Designation and Zoning Classification Relationship to Surrounding Properties
As shown in the graphic below, the site is bound on the north by a

250-foot wide electrical transmission line easement corridor, including multiple 69 kV, 230 kV and 500 kV SRP transmission lines. 

Beyond the easement corridor are single-family residential homes.
BLOGGER NOTE: All these data centers use huge amounts of electricity and water
Please note the adjacent parcels of real estate that are exclusive gated enclaves of Master-Planned Communities, like Eastmark. Likewise note the proximity to the Phoenix Mesa Gateway Area that may raise concerns for residents over flight patterns and noise.
The site is also bound on the east by Sossaman Road, vacant agricultural property and a house of worship, on the south by Elliott Road and agricultural property that is still in Maricopa County and on the west by the RWCD canal and vacant agricultural property.  At the far northwest corner of the site is the Gilbert Public Schools transportation operations center.
(Blogger Note: See other location markers)
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Sales Price for the 186 acres?
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SITE CONTEXT NORTH: Existing residential – zoned RS-9-PAD-PAD and an existing Gilbert Public Schools Maintenance and Operations yard – zoned PEP-PAD-PAD
EAST: (across Sossaman Road) Existing Church with sports fields, zoned AG and vacant land – zoned LI and LC
SOUTH:  (across Elliot Road) Existing dairy farm, zoned in Maricopa County
WEST: (across East Maricopa Floodway and RWCD Canal) Vacant – zoned RS-43 and existing self-storage facility, zoned LI 
> Existing Site Conditions/Topography
The site is presently vacant, having previously been used for agricultural purposes.
It is mostly flat and unremarkable in its topography
Item 4-e: 187 acres
to create the Red Hawk Employment Opportunity Zone
Project Red Hawk 
Employment Opportunity District Project Narrative [7 Pages]

Revised February 19, 2019  
> Introduction
"Pew & Lake, PLC is pleased to provide this project narrative and related materials to the City of Mesa in support of the proposed Red Hawk Employment Opportunity District (RHEOD).
This Narrative is provided pursuant to Section 11-14-5(B) of the City of Mesa Zoning Ordinance (MZO) and is provided in addition to an RHEOD Development Plan and RHEOD > Development Plan Map.
This document will establish how the proposed RHEOD complies with the purpose, intent and requirements of the City of Mesa 2040 General Plan as well as Chapter 14 of the MZO relating to the Employment Opportunity (EO) District.
Purpose of Request
The applicant is requesting a rezone of the approximately 187-acre property from Light Industrial (LI) and Planned Employment Park (PEP) to an Employment Opportunity (EO) district known as the Red Hawk Employment Opportunity District (RHEOD).
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The purpose of the request is to: 
1. Expedite the entitlement processes for the development of this property to better attract high technology users to this site.

2. Establish site planning guidelines to ensure compliance with the City of Mesa General Plan.
3. Establish height limitations on the property to ensure compatibility with the adjacent residentially-zoned property to the north.
4. Establish edge treatments that will ensure compatibility with the adjacent residentially-zoned property to the north.
5. Create a parcel that, through the application of the EO zoning designation, is nearly “shovel ready” and will allow for a nimble development response to advances in technology and changing market conditions.
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> Compliance with Chapter 14: Employment Opportunity District
Section 11-14-2 of The City of Mesa Zoning Ordinance specifies that an Employment Opportunity District shall only be established for an area when the City Council finds that the property meets the following requirements:
1. That the property is located within an area designated Employment and/or Employment Mixed Use Activity in the Mesa General Plan

2. The area is a minimum of 160 contiguous acres. 
As noted above, the Red Hawk property is approximately 187 acres and is currently designated in the Mesa 2040 General Plan as Employment Mixed Use Activity District.  Accordingly, this property is appropriate for designation as an Employment Opportunity District.

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Amendment Procedure
Amendments to the approved RHEOD will follow the procedures outlined in Section 11-14-9 of the MZO. 
Phasing
The RHEOD is designed to accommodate the construction of buildings over time in response to technological advances and market conditions.
Accordingly, the 187-acre property will develop in phases, the timing and size of which are not known at this time.
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HISTORY/RELATED CASES
> February 22, 1990:  Annexed to City of Mesa (Ord. #2842) April 2, 1990:
Rezoned from County Rural-43 to City AG
 (Case #Z90-009, Ord. #2511
> October 16, 2006: (adjacent to the north)
City Council approval of a rezoning from AG to R1-6-PADDMP, R1-7-PAD-DMP, R1-9-PAD-DMP and C-1-PAD-DMP and the establishment of the Desert Place at Morrison Ranch (Residential) Development Master Plan.
(Case #Z06-066, Ord. #4602
> November 20, 2006:
City Council approval of a rezoning from AG to PEP-PAD-DMP and LI-PAD-DMP and the establishment of the Desert Place at Morrison Ranch (Industrial) Development Master Plan.  (Case #Z06-083, Ord. #4633)   
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NEIGHBORHOOD PARTICIPATION:
The applicant has completed a Citizen Participation Process, which included mailed letters to property owners within 1,000’ of the site, as well as HOAs and registered neighborhoods within a mile of the site. 
The applicant also held a neighborhood meeting on February 27, 2019 at Paloma Community Church located adjacent (east) to the site and across Sossaman Road. 
As of writing this report, staff has not been contacted by any residents or property owners in the area to express support or opposition to the request.
The applicant will be providing an updated Citizen Participation Report prior to the March 19, 2019 Study Session. Staff will provide an update of the citizen participation plan during the scheduled study session.
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> Location
The 187-acre, Project Red Hawk site is located at the northwest corner of Elliot and Sossaman Roads in the City of Mesa.

The property is identified by Maricopa County Assessor’s Parcel numbers: 304-05-018K, 304-05-018L, 304-05-019F, 304-05-019G, 304-05-019K, 304-05-020X, 304-05-022G and 304-05-022K, and is shown in the graphic below.  
> Existing General Plan Designation and Zoning Classification

Relationship to Surrounding Properties
As shown in the graphic below, the site is bound on the north by a
250-foot wide electrical transmission line easement corridor, including multiple 69 kV, 230 kV and 500 kV SRP transmission lines. 
Beyond the easement corridor are single-family residential homes.
The site is also bound on the east by Sossaman Road, vacant agricultural property and a house of worship, on the south by Elliott Road and agricultural property that is still in Maricopa County and on the west by the RWCD canal and vacant agricultural property. 
At the far northwest corner of the site is the Gilbert Public Schools transportation operations center.
SITE CONTEXT NORTH: Existing residential – zoned RS-9-PAD-PAD and an existing Gilbert Public Schools Maintenance and Operations yard – zoned PEP-PAD-PAD
EAST: (across Sossaman Road) Existing Church with sports fields, zoned AG and vacant land – zoned LI and LC
SOUTH:  (across Elliot Road) Existing dairy farm, zoned in Maricopa County
WEST: (across East Maricopa Floodway and RWCD Canal) Vacant – zoned RS-43 and existing self-storage facility, zoned LI 
> Existing Site Conditions/Topography
The site is presently vacant, having previously been used for agricultural purposes.
It is mostly flat and unremarkable in its topography
File #: PZ 19038   

Type: PZ Zoning - Discuss and Recommend Status: Agenda Ready
On agenda: 3/20/2019

Title: ZON19-00016 District 6. Within the 7100 to 7600 blocks of East Elliot Road (north side) and the 3100 to 3500 blocks of South Sossaman Road (west side). Located north of Elliot Road and west of Sossaman Road
(187± acres).
Rezone from LI-PAD-PAD and PEP-PAD-PAD to EO to create the Red Hawk Employment Opportunity Zone. 
This request will establish zoning to guide future development of employment and industrial uses.
APPLICANT: W. Ralph Pew, Pew & Lake, PLC
MULTIPLE OWNERS:
  • MBR Land I, an Arizona General Partnership
  • MBR Land I, LLP
  • B&K Land Investment Co., et al
  • Morrison Ranch, Inc.
 Planner: Lesley Davis
 Staff Recommendation: Approval with conditions

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CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL:  
1. Compliance with the EO development plan dated March 12, 2019.
2. Compliance with all City development codes and regulations, except as modified by the Development Plan.
3. Compliance with all requirements of the Subdivision Regulations.
4. Compliance with all requirements of the Design Review.
5. Due to the proximity to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, any proposed permanent or temporary structure is subject to an FAA filing for review in conformance with CFR Title 14 Part 77 (Form 7460) to determine any effect to navigable airspace and air navigation facilities.
If required, an FAA determination notice of no hazard to air navigation shall be provided prior to building permit issuance.
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RELATED CONTENT ON THIS BLOG:
 
 
... Sunbelt Investment Holdings paying $18.835 million to acquire the 203-acre tract, which is at the northeast corner of Elliot and Ellsworth roads
 
 
 
 
OTHER CONTENT:
Data Centers – Google
https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/
2018. Life at Google Data Centers. The technology in our data centers is groundbreaking, but the people who run them are truly remarkable. Meet the amazing ...
Add caption
Google Plans New SubSea Cable, Plus Data Center in Phoenix
"Over the last three years, Google has invested $47 billion in its global infrastructure. That effort continues this week with the announcement of a new subsea cable and the revelation of another cloud campus in a key data center market.
Google said today that it will build a new private subsea cable that will connect Africa with Europe. The Equiano cable will start in western Europe and run along the West Coast of Africa, between Portugal and South Africa, with branching units along the way that can be used to extend connectivity to additional African countries.
Meanwhile, Google is pursuing plans to build a new data center campus in Mesa, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix that has emerged as a major hub for data centers and cloud computing.
The company has negotiated a tax incentive package for a 186-acre site in the Elliot Road Technology Corridor, near existing facilities for Apple and EdgeCore.
. . . More huge data centers are coming to the suburbs of major American cities, shifting servers closer to consumers in places like Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and Phoenix. The shift has been gradual thus far, but will gain momentum in coming years. It’s part of a gradual shift in architecture as cloud computing adapts to serving larger audiences and real-time applications.
Mesa Project Boosts Phoenix Cloud Boom
Google’s plans in Mesa were revealed in news coverage from the East Valley Tribune, which reports that the incentive package for Google is expected to be approved in a Monday city council meeting. . . the Elliot Road Technology Corridor will be anchored by Apple at one end and Google at the other. There’s plenty of data center development planned in between, including a new project from EdgeCore Internet Real Estate .
Companies that have purchased land in the corridor include Digital Realty, CyrusOne and EdgeConneX, while several others are said to be shopping sites.
Google’s project builds on the data center building boom in Phoenix, is drawing some of the biggest names in hyperscale computing. The Phoenix data center market is home to hundreds of megawatts of potential data center capacity, and demand is growing. The region now has more than 1 gigawatt of data center capacity in the pipeline. Mesa and nearby Chandler, Ariz., have become quality sub-markets, notable for lower electricity and real estate costs.  Chandler, which has been a focal point for hyperscale development in the Phoenix market, housing campuses for CyrusOneDigital Realty and H5 Data Centers. There’s also plenty of development action to the West of Phoenix, where the small town of Goodyear has emerged as a data center destination. Microsoft recently bought land in Goodyear for a major cloud availability zone