Planning director says county adopted 2045 comprehensive plan; data‑center text amendment heading to supervisors

The planning director reported that the Cochise County Board of Supervisors adopted the county’s 2045 comprehensive plan on March 10 and that staff will forward a proposed text amendment concerning data centers to the Board of Supervisors on April 7. The director said the data‑center item has attracted significant public participation and compared it to earlier controversy over utility‑scale solar projects.

The director also noted the office is assembling records for a separate appeal to Superior Court of a prior variance denial from February (a separate case involving a 5,000‑square‑foot accessory structure), and that the county may call board members as witnesses if the appeal proceeds.

Staff flagged that for R36 zoning, accessory structures are permitted on parcels of four acres or more prior to a principal dwelling, accessory structures are limited to 20 feet in height (principal structures up to 30 feet), and that an administrative lot modification can grant up to 25% relief without a public hearing as an alternative pathway.