Amazon's data center arm buys land in Laveen 'tech corridor' for $277 million

Amazon's data center arm buys land in Laveen 'tech corridor' for $277 million

By: Corina Vanek

Amazon’s data center arm, Amazon Data Services, spent $277.32 million to buy land in Laveen, in an area where the city has been marketing as a technology corridor.

Amazon bought the land from Scottsdale-based IDM Companies, which owns large parcels of land in Laveen and has completed several rezonings to forge the way for future industrial development along the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, according to Maricopa County documents.

According to Maricopa County Records, IDM had made two separate land purchases, totaling more than 200 acres of land near 63rd Avenue and Dobbins Road. One purchase, from the Smith Trust, was for $36 million, and the other, from the Williams Family Living Trust, was for $64.9 million. IDM then sold both sites to Amazon for the $227 million.

"We recently purchased land and we are constantly evaluating new locations based on customer demand,” an Amazon Web Services spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

According to an economic study from Amazon, the company spent $18.3 billion to construct data centers around the United States from 2011 to 2022.

The tech corridor has been planned for more than a decade, but construction in the area has been slow to take off. The area was pitched to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. when it was searching for a large site for its $65 billion manufacturing facility, but it instead opted to buy land in far north Phoenix.

In April, Salt River Project bought 97 acres along Loop 202 north of Elliot Road, according to real estate database Vizzda. The utility company plans to build a 500-kilovolt substation, 4 to 5 miles of new overhead 230-kV transmission lines and a half mile of new overhead 500-kV transmission lines.

When asked about the substation in June, Christine Mackay, community and economic development director for Phoenix, said SRP was planning the project with some specific businesses in mind but did not mention any company names.

Final Thoughts

As Amazon expands its presence in Arizona’s growing tech landscape, this acquisition in Laveen signals the area's potential as a new innovation hub. With Amazon Web Services investing heavily in data centers nationwide, this move highlights Laveen's strategic position for major tech players. For those considering a move to Arizona, especially from out of state, Laveen's tech corridor could soon be a dynamic area of growth, bringing more jobs and opportunities to the region. Whether you're looking for employment in the tech sector or simply want to be near Arizona’s latest wave of development, Laveen is on the cusp of exciting transformations.