MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Residents in Marana gathered at a public town hall to share concerns about a proposed data center that could take up 600 acres of land in their community.
This town hall comes after the current Marana town council's decision to rezone the 600 acres of farmland for the proposed data center.
Now that Beale Infrastructure is proposing the data center in Marana, it's prompting questions from residents about how it could affect the environment, water usage, electricity bills, and noise levels.
Marana resident Kristen Downing said she does not believe residents have enough information about the project.
"We don't know the impact it will have on the environment or the community. So we need our town council to look deeper and just not take it at face value," Downing said.
Fellow resident Bryan Wilson said he does not believe a data center belongs in Marana.
"There's too many ifs and not enough clear answers or communication. It's convinced me now more than ever that this is not a good idea," Wilson said.
Council and mayoral candidates from both sides of the aisle called the town hall to listen to the community's concerns. Marana Town Council candidate Jackie McQuire said the character of the town is at stake.
"So the reason that most people move to Marana you don't usually have to drive more than 10 minutes from anywhere in Marana to hit natural desert. And we're very quickly losing that balance between building too many houses and these data centers, the noise that the data centers produce," McGuire said.
McGuire said she wants to make sure residents have a voice as the project moves forward.
"It's your duty as a public representative is to communicate policy to people in a way that, and especially in a way they can understand and somewhere that they can access it," McGuire said.
McGuire was joined at the town hall by other candidates, including Julie Prince and Sue Ritz. Ritz raised questions about the pace of the project's development.
"So, my big question would be, why are we doing this so quickly and not really understanding the ramifications of something this big coming to our community?" Ritz said.
"I want more town halls like this, for information to get out there to people," Prince said. "[Beale Infrastructure] needs to come out, there are a lot of people with questions that they can answer."
Marana Mayoral candidate Greg Johnsen says there's a lot more transparency and guidelines needed, taking a stance against data centers in Marana.
" I don't like data centers as they are right now," Johnsen said. "They are not a benefit for the community, and if they're not a benefit, then they don't belong in Marana."
While the proposed data center is projected to take up 600 acres of land, Beale Infrastructure has said the new development could bring hundreds of jobs to the community.
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JJ McKinney joined KGUN 9 in July of 2025 as a multimedia journalist. He graduated from Colorado State University in May of 2025 with a degree in journalism and media communications and a minor in law. With a background in investigative reporting and documentary filmmaking, JJ is dedicated to giving a platform to the voices of his community. Share your story ideas and important issues with JJ by emailing jj.mckinney@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
