Pinal County Board denies two large rezoning requests for industrial data‑centre and PAD overlay

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26 denied two linked rezoning requests that together would have allowed data‑center, gas‑fired power generation and battery storage development on thousands of acres south of Baumgartner Road near Eleven Mile Corner.

Ordinance No. 2026‑PZ‑003‑26 sought to rezone approximately 2,393.63 acres from GR (General Rural) to I‑3 (Industrial) and Ordinance No. 2026‑PZ‑PD‑003‑26 requested a Planned Area Development (PAD) overlay covering roughly 3,385± acres to impose development standards on the same project area. The requests listed numerous assessor parcels along the Greene Canal of the Santa Cruz River. Planning & Zoning had recommended approval of PZ‑003‑26 by a 7–2 vote with one stipulation and of PZ‑PD‑003‑26 by a 7–2 vote with thirty‑three stipulations; the Board recorded both items as denied (Item Action: Denied).

The applications identified Rose Law Group PC, Court Rich, Earl & Curley PC and Vermaland LLC (with Rob Clang named as applicant/agent) among the parties associated with the filings. The agenda materials and zoning descriptions noted the intended uses as data center, power generation and battery storage with supporting offices and facilities. The Board’s formal denials were recorded without minutes in the transcript explaining detailed reasoning; the official record shows the items were continued from the May 27, 2026 meeting and were acted on and denied on Aug. 26, 2026.

Because the Board denied both the rezoning and the PAD overlay, the parcels remain in their existing GR zoning absent any subsequent action or appeal. Any future application seeking the same project would need to be refiled or appealed through the county’s planning process.