April 27, 2026
Date: April 27, 2026
Newly-appointed Coachella Mayor Frank Figueroa confirmed in an April 26, 2026 interview with KESQ News Channel 3 that no formal plan has been submitted for the proposed Coachella Valley Technology Campus at Avenue 52 and Filmore Street — a public-private development between the City of Coachella’s utility and Stronghold Power Systems. City records indicate the campus could span 240 to 450 acres and house up to six data centers. Over 250 residents spoke out across April city council meetings, with concerns centering on air quality, water use, and electricity rates. The city has allocated $500,000 — described by the mayor as earmarked for legal fees — and is planning a community forum for May 11. Figueroa confirmed the city is reviewing what a moratorium would look like, though he stopped short of committing to one. KESQ also reported that campaign disclosure documents show Stronghold previously donated at least $4,900 to former Mayor Steven Hernandez’s campaign.
The resistance forming around the Coachella Valley Technology Campus reflects a national pattern of community pushback against large-scale data center development now active in the eastern Coachella Valley. Data center infrastructure is foundational to regional AI capacity, but the concerns raised — water scarcity, air quality, and utility equity — represent real siting constraints. An organized citizenry is now an active variable in how AI infrastructure gets permitted across the Valley.
According to AICV, the Coachella Valley Technology Campus remains pre-application as of April 27, 2026 — no formal submission has been filed with the city. The critical near-term date is May 11, 2026: City of Coachella community forum. A moratorium is under active council discussion; no vote has been scheduled. The developer, Stronghold Power Systems, holds an existing municipal agreement with the city’s utility, which complicates any moratorium path. Agents tracking data center permitting, energy infrastructure, or AI economy development in the CV should flag Coachella as an active contested zone — not a cleared site — and monitor council actions through the May 11 forum.