Tucson Council Member Rocque Perez votes to reject Project Blue Data Center

Tucson City Councilmember Rocque Perez voted to reject the proposed Project Blue data center, joining his colleagues in a unanimous 7–0 decision to end negotiations and halt annexation of the 290-acre development into the City of Tucson.

The vote effectively stopped the $3.6 billion project from moving forward within city limits, preventing it from accessing Tucson Water and ending discussions with developer Beale Infrastructure. The proposal had drawn intense public scrutiny over its projected water consumption, massive energy demand, and the lack of transparency surrounding its early development process.

Perez said community members played a critical role in surfacing key information about the project.

“I feel like I learned more about Project Blue from the public than the city,” Perez said during Council deliberations.

Project Blue would have become one of the largest developments ever considered in Southern Arizona, with early documents indicating the first two phases alone could have required nearly 2,000 acre-feet of water annually — making it Tucson Water’s largest customer. The project also sought up to 286 megawatts of power, placing additional strain on regional energy infrastructure.

As debate intensified, residents raised concerns about water sustainability in the Sonoran Desert, rising electricity costs, and non-disclosure agreements that limited early public transparency. Public meetings were packed with hundreds of Tucsonans demanding accountability and stronger protections for the community’s water and climate goals.

Perez emphasized that while data centers are expanding nationwide, Tucson must establish clear standards before entertaining similar proposals in the future.

“I now urge Pima County and our counterparts in other municipalities — as well as the public that’s here today — to pay attention to what happens next, because data centers aren’t going away,” Perez said.

During Council discussion, Perez also addressed concerns about the potential end user of the facility.

“I know that Amazon Web Services in particular is much more water-consumptive,” he said.

In addition to rejecting Project Blue, the Mayor and Council committed to developing guardrails for future large-scale water users and updating policies governing data center proposals to ensure greater transparency, climate alignment, and community protection.

The Council’s unanimous vote was met with cheers from residents packed into Council chambers, marking a significant moment in Tucson’s ongoing effort to balance economic development with environmental stewardship and public trust.