Cochise County, Ariz., has set a public hearing date for what KJZZ calls the largest data center proposal in Arizona. The county's Planning and Zoning Commission will hear special use application SU26-22 on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 2:00 p.m. The county moved the start from an originally announced 4:00 p.m. because of the anticipated number of speakers. The hearing falls about six weeks after the Oct. 30 filing, and the commission's decision becomes final under county procedure unless someone appeals it.

The application came from Tombstone Resources L.L.C. Data Center Dynamics reports that the company is an affiliate of SpaceXAI. According to the county, the filing arrived at its Melody Lane offices in Bisbee at 4:58 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30. The county posted the application materials on its Data Centers page while the case was listed as "Pending County Review." The county says the project descriptions come from the applicant, have not been independently verified or endorsed by the county, and that it has made no determination on regulatory compliance or approval.

What is being proposed

The county describes the request as a supercomputer and AI data center campus with a battery energy storage system (BESS) on approximately 747 acres along U.S. Highway 191 near Cochise. According to information the applicant submitted, the plan calls for up to nine computing buildings built in four phases. The county's Data Centers page says the proposal also includes battery energy storage, electrical, cooling and supporting infrastructure. The land is zoned RU-4 (Rural).

The applicant estimates the campus's electrical demand at 6 GW at full build-out, as reported on the county's Data Centers page. Data Center Dynamics, citing SpaceXAI's application, reports more detail on the plan:

  • Up to nine buildings of 493,000 square feet each.
  • Four stages of 1.5 GW each.
  • A 24 GWh battery energy storage system.
  • About $3.6 billion in spending on power infrastructure, including $500 million for work to enable phase one.
  • Construction that could begin in March 2027 if zoning approval is received.

The plan also includes backup power. KJZZ reports that the conceptual site plan includes enough natural-gas-fired backup generators for 90 MW of intermittent backup.

The site

The sources give slightly different acreage figures. The county and DCD both use 747 acres. KJZZ describes the site as roughly 750 acres in two pieces:

  • 400 acres of Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) land adjacent to the Apache Generating Station, which KJZZ says Tombstone Resources plans to purchase.
  • 348 acres that KJZZ says Tombstone Resources will purchase from Southline Transmission LLC.

DCD also identifies AEPCO and Southline Transmission as the current owners of the two plots. It places the site near the Willcox Playa, which it describes as a dry lake 80 miles east of Tucson, and next to AEPCO's Apache Generating Station, which DCD says produces 626 MW via coal, natural gas and solar.

The site also sits close to sensitive habitat. KJZZ reports that it is a few thousand feet from the Willcox Playa, a landing spot for migratory sandhill cranes. KJZZ also reports that the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will review the designs for environmental compatibility.

Who pays for the power

The project's estimated 6 GW load is what makes it unusual, and the two cooperatives involved have described their roles in different ways.

According to KJZZ, the applicant is requesting wholesale power generation and transmission services from AEPCO and retail electric service from the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC). SSVEC told KJZZ that it will require the developer to pay for the upgrades and construction needed to deliver all 6 GW, and that it is negotiating financial protections with Tombstone in case the project closes or does not use all the energy requested. SSVEC anticipates filing a rate case in fall 2027, according to KJZZ. AEPCO told KJZZ that it is working with the applicant to acquire the generation and transmission resources required.

None of the sources says that terms of any agreement between the applicant and either cooperative have been finalized.

A new set of county rules

This is one of the first major tests of rules the county wrote specifically for data centers. KJZZ reports that Cochise County added a specific definition and zoning code for data centers in April. The code:

  • Limits data centers to four zoning districts.
  • Sets standards for noise, water and other utility impacts, decommissioning and financial assurances.

The county says data centers are not permitted by right and go through its Special Use Authorization process, which includes a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission. The county says its review covers water use and cooling, noise, energy and utility infrastructure, traffic, fire access, drainage, compatibility with surrounding uses and decommissioning. The county said it is making application materials available before staff and agency review, and that staff reports and hearing materials will be published with the commission's agenda packet and on its Data Centers page approximately one week before the hearing.

Community response so far

Tombstone Resources held an applicant-hosted community meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. at Cochise Elementary School. The county notes that the meeting was hosted by the applicant and was separate from the county's formal public hearing process.

KJZZ reports that more than 1,000 people have signed a petition protesting the proposal. Formal public comment on the application goes through the county process, including written comments through the county's Public Hearing Public Comment Form and requests to speak at the Dec. 9 hearing. The county says comments submitted by noon on Friday, Nov. 27, will be included in the commission's meeting packet, and that speakers will be limited to two minutes each unless the chair directs otherwise.

What Happens Next

The Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on SU26-22 on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. (previously 4:00 p.m.). The hearing will take place in the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room, 1415 W. Melody Lane, Building G, Bisbee. Speakers may take part in person or virtually through Microsoft Teams.

According to the county, the commission may approve the application, approve it with conditions, or deny it. A majority vote of the commission makes the decision, and it is final unless appealed to the Cochise County Board of Supervisors. DCD also reports that a decision on the zoning request will be made at the Dec. 9 meeting.

The county's Nov. 2 News Flash still lists a 4:00 p.m. start; its Data Centers page, last updated Nov. 6, lists the 2:00 p.m. time. Before then, the county has scheduled a Nov. 27 deadline for comments to be included in the meeting packet, and says it will publish staff reports about a week before the hearing. KJZZ reports that Arizona Game and Fish and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will review the designs.

Sources