A proposed 1,517-acre data-center, energy and industrial campus south of Maricopa is scheduled for a Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission hearing Thursday, Oct. 15.
The case is PZ-PA-015-26, a major Comprehensive Plan amendment for the Arizona Independent Technology Campus near Stanfield. The County’s hearing register places the case in Supervisorial District 3 and lists the Oct. 15 hearing.
The proposal is still early. Thursday’s commission is a recommending body. It can recommend approval, denial or a continuation to the Board of Supervisors; it does not issue the final county decision. No construction start, tenant, power commitment or operating date was verified for this article.
What is proposed
An application summary published by Arizona Builders Exchange identifies Zinke Investments LLC as the owner and describes the site as southeast of Porter and Barnes roads near Stanfield. It says the full campus would cover about 1,517 acres.
According to that summary, the immediate request would redesignate approximately 956 acres from Moderate Low Density Residential to Employment. The rest of the site already carries an Employment designation. The developer would still need to pursue rezoning after a successful plan amendment before industrial uses could move forward.
That sequence is important. A comprehensive-plan designation sets long-range policy. It does not approve site plans, issue building permits or guarantee that a proposed mix of data centers, energy facilities and industrial buildings will be constructed.
The same application summary describes a conceptual mix with data centers, energy generation and manufacturing or warehouse uses. OurMaricopa did not find a public megawatt figure, water-cooling plan, utility-service agreement, announced customer or construction financing in the official hearing register.
Those missing details matter for any development of this size. Residents should expect later applications and technical reviews to answer them if the project advances.
When and where the hearing happens
Pinal County says Planning and Zoning Commission meetings are normally held on the third Thursday of the month at 9 a.m. at the Pinal County Administrative Complex Emergency Operations Center, 301 E. 11th Street in Florence.
The County’s 2026 major-amendment schedule identifies Oct. 15 as the Planning and Zoning public-hearing date and Nov. 18 as the target Board of Supervisors hearing. The schedule notes that dates can change.
The commission advises the Board of Supervisors. Residents following the case should check the County’s Notice of Hearings page and Planning and Zoning Commission page before traveling, because agendas and continuances can change the order or timing of a case.
Why Maricopa residents should pay attention
The site is outside the City of Maricopa near Stanfield, but its scale makes it relevant to the wider southwest Pinal County area. A project of this size could raise regional questions about jobs, truck routes, power infrastructure, water demand, emergency response and land-use compatibility.
Those are questions, not findings. The public evidence reviewed today does not establish a final employment count, water source, electrical capacity, tax agreement or traffic-impact package.
Maricopa-area residents have seen other large energy and industrial concepts move through separate state and county processes. OurMaricopa’s guide to the Horseshoe Energy zoning filings covers a different proposed project southwest of the city. The Marigold Energy Center hearing guide addresses a separate state proceeding. None of those records should be used to infer the details or outcome of the Arizona Independent Technology Campus.
Questions the next public record should answer
If the plan amendment advances, the next useful documents should clarify:
The exact division among data-center, energy and industrial acreage.
The proposed water supply and cooling approach.
Electrical demand, generation and utility interconnection.
Road access, truck routes and traffic improvements.
Emergency-response and fire-protection requirements.
Phasing, construction timing and prospective tenants.
The Citizens Advisory Committee recommendation and County staff recommendation.
Residents should also watch whether the Oct. 15 commission continues the item. A continuation would postpone a recommendation; it would not be an approval or denial.
What is confirmed and what is not
Confirmed: Pinal County lists case PZ-PA-015-26 for an Oct. 15 Planning and Zoning hearing in District 3. County records identify the commission as a recommending body. A published application summary describes a 1,517-acre campus and a 956-acre plan-amendment request.
Not confirmed: rezoning, final development plans, permits, tenants, utility service, construction financing or a build schedule.
That is the appropriate frame for Thursday: a large proposal is entering an important public-review step, while most project-delivery details remain unresolved.
Sources
Pinal County — Notice of Hearings, case PZ-PA-015-26. https://www.pinal.gov/236/Notice-of-Hearings. Accessed Oct. 13, 2026; hearing listed for Oct. 15, 2026.
Pinal County — Planning and Zoning Commission. https://www.pinal.gov/547/Planning-Zoning-Commission. Accessed Oct. 13, 2026.
Pinal County Development Services — 2026 Major Comprehensive Plan Amendment Schedule. https://intranet.pinal.gov/DocumentCenter/View/24267/2026-Major-Comprehensive-Plan-Amendment-Schedule-PDF. Accessed Oct. 13, 2026.
Arizona Builders Exchange — “1,500-Acre Business and Technology Campus Planned in Pinal County.” https://azbex.com/planning-development/1500-acre-business-and-technology-campus-planned-in-pinal-county/. Published Sept. 4, 2026; accessed Oct. 13, 2026. Used for application acreage, owner and requested land-use summary; County hearing records independently verify the case and date.