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Phoenix Campus (Menlo Digital)

Menlo Digital's MD-PHX1 is a five-building data center campus under construction at East Thistle Landing Drive in Ahwatukee, Phoenix. Its published plan calls for 257 MW of utility supply and 180 MW of computing power. The campus is not confirmed operating.

Proposed data center in 4801 E Thistle Landing Dr, Phoenix. Operated by Menlo Digital.

This is a proposed or under-construction project. It is not operating capacity, and announced projects do sometimes change scope or fail to proceed.

The short version

Project and people behind it

The site is at 4801-4811 East Thistle Landing Drive near 48th Street. Menlo Digital, a Menlo Equities business, markets the campus. Phoenix permit documents name two related property-owner entities in different records: ME PHX Tech Campus LLC and Thistle Income Partners LLC. Clune Construction is the named contractor on major shell permits. These records do not, alone, establish the complete deed and corporate ownership chain.

Construction: what the city has actually authorized

  • January 7, 2026: Phoenix issued a grading and drainage permit for the East Thistle Landing Data Center.
  • May 21: the city issued a foundation-only permit for Buildings 1 and 2. A May 22 site-civil permit describes five proposed buildings, open space and a substation.
  • July 2: Phoenix issued a two-story, 204,480-square-foot core-and-shell permit for Building 5.
  • July 17: Phoenix issued a combined 392,271-square-foot core-and-shell permit for Buildings 1 and 2. The earlier foundation drawing had a slightly different area.
  • August 14: a right-of-way permit covered 868 feet of sewer main. On October 27 the city issued a private fireline connection permit.
  • A separately listed application for substation structures still reads "not issued" in the city's November 2 document.

The main building permits reviewed here remained open on November 2, 2026. Issued construction permits are not certificates of occupancy and do not establish that data halls have begun service. The site's "Proposed" classification includes this under-construction phase.

Power, buildings and timing

Menlo lists Salt River Project as the utility provider. Its 257 MW describes the proposed utility feed, while the separate 180 MW is the design for computing equipment across twenty halls: ten rated 8 MW and ten rated 10 MW. Neither figure represents proven consumption today. Menlo targets substation and shell work in late 2026, with initial data-hall delivery in early 2027. These are developer targets, not opening certificates.

Menlo publishes 1,022,400 square feet over five two-story buildings. A 2026 Phoenix planning drawing labels five larger structures at about 210,820 square feet each, while the city-issued Buildings 1 and 2 permit lists 392,271 square feet combined and Building 5 lists 204,480. The figures refer to different published design documents or permit scopes and should not be added together as separate facilities. Menlo markets 38.3 acres, while an earlier city zoning application describes 40.36 acres. The headline campus numbers on this page are Menlo's stated design, with the discrepancies recorded below.

Zoning, infrastructure and neighborhood

The city says the property's older commercial zoning allows the data center. Phoenix adopted additional data center zoning requirements in July 2025, but told local reporters that these do not apply retroactively to this earlier-approved project. A city planning file discusses a minimum building setback and public open space, but a park opening or compliance with every condition is not established by the planning paperwork alone. On July 1, 2026, the Phoenix City Council adopted Resolution 22388 abandoning certain drainage and waterline easements at the property.

Nearby Ahwatukee homeowners have reported noise, dust and disruption during construction. Arizona's Family reported the city received complaints about work starting too early, but neither that report nor the reviewed permit documents establish a final violation finding or fine. Residents have also raised questions about backup generators and future emissions. The station reported more than 100 planned diesel generators, but an independently verified Maricopa County air permit confirming the final count, emissions limits and testing schedule is still needed. The report says the city did not require a project-specific health or environmental impact study. That does not mean separate environmental permits cannot apply.

The attorney general held a town hall about local data centers in October 2026. News accounts describe a potential investigation and nuisance action, not a confirmed filed lawsuit. SRP has said the developer will pay dedicated grid-connection costs up front and claims the project will not raise other customers' rates. The statement is not an independent public audit.

What remains to establish

The county air-permit file and generator specifications, final water and cooling demand, verified neighborhood noise measurements and enforcement outcomes, deed history, park obligations, customer or tenant commitments, actual power energization and certificates of occupancy remain priority records. An air-cooled approach mentioned in coverage is not proof of zero water use. This page distinguishes plans, issued permits, testimony and operating milestones so later changes can be checked against the record.

  • Utility power supply at full build-out: 257 MW
  • Floor area: 1.0M sq ft
  • Land: 38.3 acres

Capacity: Operator's own figure: power the utility has agreed to supply, at full build-out. Menlo Digital published campus utility feed, November 2026.

Working here

Per-facility headcount is not published here: no reliable public figures exist for these sites, and construction announcements are not permanent employment. Open Arizona roles at this operator, where there are any, are listed on the operator's company page.

How we know this

Compiled from public records and checked on 2026-11-02. Confidence in this record: high. Blank figures mean the number is not publicly established, not that it is zero.

Each statement on this page is listed with the page it came from and the words that say it. Sources open in a new tab. Where a source is listed without a quote, none was recorded.