Page, Arizona’s mayor and city council voted 6–2 on Oct. 22, 2025 to move forward with selling roughly 500 acres of city-owned, recreation-zoned land near Horseshoe Bend for a massive data-center project pitched by an out-of-state developer.
According to a Change.org petition, the council refused to allow a public vote, declined to require an archaeological survey, and ignored a flood of public opposition. It’s always fascinating how “public service” ends when public opinion begins. There were more than 190 emails urging them to reject the deal and in-person comments where “every resident who spoke…urged the council to vote no.” Two council members, Tom Preller and Amanda Hammond, voted no. The rest voted yes.
The developer, described in local reporting as a UK-based group (AKA no skin in the game, as in the local quality of life), is marketing the project as a $10 billion data-center campus on about 500 acres. Apparently, it’s the largest economic development project Page has ever seen. Nothing says “economic development” like bulldozing the view that is your economy.
Residents are alarmed for reasons that go well beyond scenery. Local coverage and community comments warn that the proposed facility would demand millions of gallons of water and an electrical load on the scale of a major power plant, in a desert town already struggling with long-term water reliability.
Page’s 2040 General Plan lists recreation and tourism as the pillars of its economy. Turning recreation-zoned land near Horseshoe Bend into a water-hungry data campus directly contradicts that vision. Let’s trade sunlight and scenery for heat exhaust and humming fans, said no decent human ever.
The Pattern Beyond Page
What happened in Page mirrors a growing pattern across Arizona…and many other states with resources stretched thin. Local officials tout data centers as “clean tech” or “economic development,” but they often approve land sales or rezonings first and worry about resource costs later. It’s an Arizona tradition: (1) do the deal, (2) dismiss the damage.
In southern Arizona, Pima County supervisors approved a 290-acre land sale for a project known as Project Blue, only to face public backlash so intense that Tucson later refused to extend water service.
Across the state, from Mesa to Tucson, data-center proposals have drawn increasing scrutiny for their heavy water and power demands.
Officials call these projects transformational, yet they rarely release numbers on permanent jobs, tax breaks, or water use. Once the land is gone, residents are left with higher utility burdens and little lasting benefit.
Why the Silence Matters
If you’re wondering why almost nobody is writing about the Page deal, that silence is part of the story.
Small-town media bandwidth. Page’s only newspaper, the Lake Powell Chronicle, runs weekly and lacks the staff for deep investigations. Without follow-up, projects slide quietly from “proposal” to “done deal.” Somewhere between press release and public notice, journalism took a long lunch.
No watchdog ecosystem. Northern Arizona lacks dedicated investigative outlets like AZ Luminaria or Tucson Sentinel. Without scrutiny, decisions move unchecked.
National blind spot. Major outlets focus on data-center fights near Phoenix, Tucson, or Mesa. Rural towns rarely make the news until a bulldozer shows up.
Intentional quiet. Developers frame these as clean investments, downplaying resource strain and tax abatements. The fewer questions asked, the faster the approval.
Perfect timing. The vote came in late October, buried under national election coverage — a perfect moment for an unpopular decision to escape notice.
The lack of coverage doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see. It means democracy can be rewritten quietly when nobody’s watching.
What Happens Next
If you live in or near Page, there are ways to make sure this story doesn’t fade quietly into the archives.
1. Ask for the receipts.
Request the official minutes, vote records, and staff reports from Page City Hall. Arizona’s Public Records Law guarantees your right to them.
2. Follow the water.
Ask the Arizona Department of Water Resources what filings, if any, have been made for this project. Demand clarity on the source and limits of the water supply.
3. Contact your county and state officials.
Coconino County and state legislators can influence infrastructure and environmental compliance. Let them know you’re watching.
4. Keep the noise going.
Write letters, share verified information, and tag your officials. Local media can’t cover what they don’t know about and silence is how bad deals thrive.
5. Demand accountability.
Economic development should not mean privatizing public land without public consent. Every Arizonan deserves transparency and a voice in decisions that reshape their community.
The moment we stop asking questions is the moment they stop pretending to answer.
Discover more from Blog for Arizona
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.