Glendale has completed a required public hearing for the proposed annexation of Project Eagle, the 160-acre data-center and power-plant development previously known as Project Baccara near Olive Avenue and Litchfield Road.
The City Council took no annexation or zoning vote at the Sept. 22 hearing. The item involved a “blank petition,” an early step required by Arizona annexation law before property-owner signatures can be collected and an annexation ordinance considered. Glendale’s staff report for case AN-273 says an annexation ordinance is the next city action.
If the annexation is approved, staff expects to bring a separate Planned Area Development rezoning, case ZON26-05, to the council’s Oct. 27 voting meeting. That means the project is moving into a consequential Glendale review stage, but it is not yet annexed, rezoned, permitted for construction or under construction.
What Project Eagle would include
The site is unincorporated Maricopa County land north of Olive Avenue, west of Litchfield Road and near the Bullard Avenue alignment. Glendale’s latest staff report describes the future development as three data centers and a natural-gas generation plant. The applicant’s July annexation narrative identifies Baccara Eagle Land LLC as the owner and says the land is intermittently farmed.
An economic study included with that application models $370 million in data-center building construction, $8.2 billion in equipment and $1.7 billion for the power plant. Those figures are applicant projections, not a city investment commitment or final construction budget. The same study projects a first data-center building opening in 2029 and full buildout in 2030.
The Arizona Corporation Commission voted 5-0 on Feb. 4 to grant a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility for a proposed 700.2-megawatt gas-fired generating plant serving the campus. The commission emphasized that the certificate was only one of several required approvals. The commission’s announcement listed additional air, construction, military-compatibility and environmental requirements.
Maricopa County approved military-compatibility permit MCP250007 on May 6. The county’s permit conditions allow data-center buildings, a natural-gas generating facility, backup diesel and propane power, an electrical substation and supporting infrastructure. They also require later reviews addressing aircraft visibility, exhaust plumes, electromagnetic interference, air quality, fire protection and other issues associated with the site’s proximity to Luke Air Force Base.
Water, sewer and nearby communities
Glendale does not plan to extend city water or sewer service west of 115th Avenue. City staff says the Project Eagle property lies within EPCOR’s water service area. The site is not yet within a certificated sewer provider’s territory, and the owner is working with EPCOR to establish sewer service before development.
The City of Surprise, whose residents live near the county island, maintains a Project Baccara information page tracking the proposal and the city’s requests for studies of air quality, noise, traffic, water and other effects.
Glendale’s report says 40 property owners attended an Aug. 12 neighborhood meeting and asked about air and water quality, water use and the distance to existing residential development. Two property owners at an Aug. 20 follow-up meeting raised concerns about air quality, noise mitigation and encroachment near Luke AFB.
What happens next
The blank annexation petition was recorded Aug. 28, starting a statutory waiting period. With the Sept. 22 hearing complete, Glendale can move toward collecting the required signatures and considering an annexation ordinance.
Annexation would bring the land inside Glendale and initially apply the city zoning district most comparable to the county’s heavy-industrial zoning. The requested PAD rezoning would still need its own public process and council decision. Even if both actions pass, the developer would need design review, building and infrastructure permits, utility arrangements and the remaining state and federal approvals before work could begin.
The most important date now is Oct. 27, when Glendale staff expects the council to consider the project’s rezoning if the annexation has first been approved.
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