The path has been cleared for construction of a large data center project that will go up in Maricopa County not far from the Luke Air Force Base.
What has been called Project Baccara will see the building of two separate, two-story, 1 million- square-foot data centers as well as a gas power plant. The project is slated to be built on a 160-acre site off Olive Avenue and Litchfield Road
Members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors have given the project an all-important thumbs-up by approving a military compatibility permit required due to its being built within the vicinity of a military base.
Project Baccara has been strongly opposed by area residents and community activists who have raised questions regarding what they have said is its potentially damaging impact on groundwater contamination and air quality.
Much of the opposition has formed under a group called the Project Bacarra Opposition Coalition, arguing that the 700-megawatt gas powered plant will be built “2,000 feet from family homes, in a county that already fails federal air quality standards.”
The project is being spearheaded by Takanock, a data center developer based in Traverse City, Michigan. The company has maintained that Project Baccara will “seamlessly integrate into the community, substantially enhance the county’s resources to support shared priorities, and ensure digital reliability.”
Plans call for work on the project to begin by late summer, with the first data center scheduled to become operational in early 2028.
May 8, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Rendering of Project Baccara courtesy of City of Mesa
