Clark County Approves Switch LAS 19 Data Center in Southwest Las Vegas Valley Despite Public Opposition Over Energy and Water Concerns Clark County commissioners voted Wednesday to approve a set of zoning and development items for a Switch data center facility in the southwest Las Vegas valley, clearing the way for the project to move forward after public commenters called on officials to slow the pace of data center expansion and demand greater transparency about the industry's impact on energy, water and surrounding communities.

Project Overview and Site Details

The approved items relate to a proposed facility identified as LAS 19, located generally east of Edmond Street and north of Warm Springs Road in the southwest valley. Switch representatives told commissioners the project would involve a roughly 56,000-square-foot building, which they described as less than half the total square footage previously approved for the site under earlier industrial entitlements. Steven Roberts, Switch's vice president of construction development, outlined several features of the facility intended to address resource consumption concerns.

He said the project would use a closed-loop cooling system that does not consume water on a daily basis beyond restrooms and kitchenettes. Roberts noted that an earlier approved industrial project on the same site could have relied on evaporative cooling, which he estimated would have used approximately 5,000 gallons of water per day. Roberts also told commissioners that the site would be served by existing electric infrastructure, including an Audet substation that Switch built in partnership with NV Energy, with underground cabling feeding the campus.

Landscaping Waivers Withdrawn, Pedestrian Safety Condition Added

During the course of the hearing, Switch withdrew several requested waivers related to landscaping, committing instead to install landscaping required by county code along the perimeter security wall and on the campus.

The remaining point of contention involved Warm Springs Road frontage and a request connected to an attached sidewalk near a wall built approximately 20 years ago. Commissioners engaged in discussion about pedestrian protections along Warm Springs Road. County staff proposed, and Switch agreed to, a condition requiring the company to coordinate a cost contribution to the Clark County Public Works Department for the design and construction of a barrier separating the sidewalk from travel lanes along Warm Springs Road adjacent to several parcels.

Commissioner Michael Naft confirmed that the work would be timed to coincide with an ongoing project in the area.

Public Opposition From Environmental and Community Groups

The hearing drew public comment from residents and advocacy organizations critical of the project. Representatives of the Sierra Club and environmental justice advocates argued the facility was part of what they characterized as a wave of rapid, artificial intelligence-driven data center development that risks straining Nevada's electric grid and affecting utility affordability for ratepayers. Several commenters urged the commission to follow the recommendation of the Enterprise Town Advisory Board, which had advised denial of the design review and some of the requested waivers.

Those critics cited concerns about landscaping standards, heat generation, resource consumption and public safety. Commissioners responded by clarifying that their role in the proceeding was limited to land use considerations.

Commissioners Highlight Sustainability Credentials

Commissioner Naft pushed back on some of the public criticism, pointing to the project's performance under the county's existing sustainability framework. He said the Switch application scored 6.5 out of 7 points on the county's sustainability point system and confirmed that the facility would operate with near-zero water consumption for building operations through dry-cooling technology.

Naft also stated that it was a collective understanding that the facility would be supported by 100 percent renewable energy sources. "I want to thank those of you who came today with some good facts, but I think some of them don't actually apply to what is actually happening here," Naft said during the meeting. Natalie Mitchell, Switch's senior vice president of government affairs and campus development, told commissioners the company has operated on 100 percent renewable energy since 2016.

She also said Switch maintains a nationwide workforce of full-time employees, with approximately 1,200 based in Clark County.

Commissioners Vote to Approve With Conditions

Commissioners voted to approve the agenda items with the landscaping waivers withdrawn and the Public Works pedestrian safety condition attached. Commissioner Tick Segerblom voted in favor of the project while also calling for broader regulatory action to manage the regional impact of the data center industry. "Because obviously we don't want to spend water, we don't want to spend electricity.

This valley is so small. Anything we can do to avoid the potentials that this data center could create I think is very important for us," Segerblom said. Segerblom cited the facility's renewable energy commitments and plans to operate without daily water use as factors in his favorable vote, but emphasized the need for continued oversight as data center development expands across Southern Nevada.

He expressed a desire to see an ordinance put in place to address resource use and growth as more data center applications come before local governments in the Las Vegas valley. The Switch approval comes as the region is seeing increased scrutiny of data center proposals. The Henderson City Council was separately set to consider an ordinance pausing data center applications, according to reporting by Fox5.