Marana Rejects Data Center Referendum Petitions; Withdrawal Request Follows

MARANA, AZ (February 20, 2026) — The Town of Marana has determined that referendum petitions filed to put a proposed data center rezoning to a public vote do not meet the requirements under Arizona law.

Town officials said the petitions failed to include the legal description of the properties involved, which is required for zoning ordinances, according to a press release issued Wednesday.

The two referendum petitions were submitted Feb. 4 by Arizonans for Responsible Development,  a committee sponsored by the advocacy group Worker Power,  and contained about 2,800 signatures each, exceeding the threshold required.

The announcement came hours after the No Desert Data Center Coalition, another group involved in gathering signatures from Marana residents, said Worker Power had attempted to withdraw the petitions.

In a social media statement, the Coalition said Worker Power “has chosen to try and withdraw the petitions that more than 2800 of you signed,” calling the move “a betrayal of our trust,” and said it would explain more in the coming weeks.

The petitions sought to overturn a rezoning decision approved by the Marana Town Council in January that would allow a data center campus to be developed in Marana by the developers, Beale Infrasturcture.

Marana officials said that on Tuesday, Feb. 17, a representative for Arizonans for Responsible Development submitted a written request asking that the petitions be withdrawn.

The request, submitted by Barton Mendez Soto PLLC,  an employment and election law firm representing the committee,  stated that “the Committee retracts the petitions signatures it submitted in support of both of these measures and no longer supports placing these measures on the ballot.”

The correspondence also stated the committee bore responsibility for circulating an invalid petition because it failed to attach the title and text to petition sheets.

Marana officials said the town does not have statutory authority to withdraw referendum petitions once they have been filed and is legally required to complete the administrative review process.

The Marana Town Clerk has 20 business days to verify whether the petitions meet the minimum requirement for eligible signatures before forwarding them to the Pima County Recorder’s Office for review.

Under the Town of Marana Code, referendums challenging a town ordinance or resolution must be filed within 30 days of adoption by the Town Council.

The Marana Town Council on Jan. 6 unanimously approved the rezoning of two adjacent parcels of agricultural land. As a result, the data center project cannot refile a referendum petition challenging the council’s decision.