Local opinion: Five reasons why Tucson should greenlight Blue

Our region’s success depends on our ability to attract outside capital investment and grow our economy. While real estate, development and home building is a pillar of that growth, we also need to achieve an array of other industry sectors. In recent years, Tucson has taken meaningful strides as a promising destination for technology-related investment including the impending arrival of an electric-vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing plant. With Project Blue, we can either take a major step forward in expanding our economic diversity or risk falling behind.

For those who have been on summer vacation, Project Blue is a multi-phase state-of-the-art tech campus centered around data centers housing trillions of terabytes of data. This data is critical for our digital existence — banking, commerce, transportation, telecommunications, entertainment, and more. This data needs a place to reside to make data transfers more efficient. As AI becomes more intertwined with the economy, and our daily lives, data centers only grow in significance.

Here are five strong reasons why the City of Tucson should approve this project:

1. Driving the Economy Forward

How will Project Blue impact the local economy? It’s a game-changer. The first phase alone is an investment of $3.6 billion over the next three years. Over 10 years, this means $2.5 billion in local, county, and state tax revenue. This does not include the increase in property tax revenue that will help with public education — encouraging development of the current and future labor force.

2. Workforce Growth

Speaking of the local workforce, Project Blue will provide a surge of jobs which adds another tax-revenue windfall to coffers. During the initial buildout phase, 3,000 construction jobs will be created, permanent on-site jobs averaging $64,000 in annual salary. The subsequent two phases are expected to increase the initial impact numbers by a whopping 400 percent.

Project Blue will also provide training and apprenticeships in the trades, as well as internships and certification opportunities in tech fields.

3. Water & Power: Net Positive

This project will be water-positive, meaning that it will use less water than it returns to the water system. How? By using reclaimed water. Project Blue will also pay extra fees to expand resources and fund replenishment projects.

Plus, there will be a $100 million investment for expanding water resources and infrastructure. This represents the largest private investment in infrastructure in the city’s 250-year history.

There is a belief that this project will use a lot of Tucson’s electric grid, but that’s not the case. When feasible, Project Blue will run on wind and solar power and will pay for any necessary grid upgrades. This means that there will be virtually no impact on residential electricity customers, both in costs and service reliability.

4. Sustainable Growth

Another important aspect of this project is its sustainability efforts. Project Blue has plans to plant trees on the site, have a rainwater-harvesting system, EV charging stations, open spaces, and the potential for solar in the parking areas. The project is also supportive of Tucson’s 2050 net-zero emissions vision. These amenities will make this one of the most sustainable projects Southern Arizona.

5. We’re Tucson, without apology

Perhaps the biggest reason to approve Project Blue is simply this: We’re Tucson and we were chosen for a reason. Or several, actually. Project Blue wanted to build here because of our predictable, stable climate. Tucson was also chosen for its stable power grid, proximity to major population centers like Los Angeles and Phoenix, and for its dynamic and diverse workforce that can meet the varied labor needs of the project.

There is an overwhelming benefit coming our way with Project Blue, and it would be vital to the growth and vibrancy of Tucson to have Project Blue in our community. Tucson’s Mayor and Council should absolutely make this happen for the sake of our workforce and securing Tucson’s economic future.