NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Massive new developments continue to transform the Apex Industrial Park in North Las Vegas, but a recent land purchase by one of the valley’s largest data center companies is now raising concerns among some locals.
Located roughly 20 miles from downtown North Las Vegas, the Apex Industrial Park has become a major hub for industrial growth in Southern Nevada. The area is already home to large facilities including a Kroger warehouse and a Crocs distribution center.
WATCH | Concerns raised over land purchase tied to data center company in Las Vegas
Most recently, data center company Switch purchased more than 300 acres of land in the area for roughly $200 million, according to the Clark County Assessor’s website.
While the company has not publicly announced what it plans to build on the property, local advocate Lotus Gage fears another large-scale data center could be coming to the area.
“There’s a lot of concerns,” Gage said.
Gage said she worries about the environmental impact another data center could have on the valley, especially as Southern Nevada continues to face ongoing water issues.
“Another data center means more water, and we are already in a water crisis,” Gage said. “They create these things called heat islands. They warm the air around them by 25 degrees.”
Gage has since created a petition opposing potential development at the site and is calling on the company to be more transparent about its plans.
“We are also calling for transparency because Switch definitely prides itself on being sustainable,” Gage said. “I feel like if it’s as sustainable as they are saying, where is the data?”
Switch already operates a massive data center campus in the southwest Las Vegas valley near Jones Boulevard and the 215 Beltway.
According to information obtained from the Las Vegas Valley Water District, Switch used roughly 340 million gallons of water in 2025.
That's roughly about 514 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
“Las Vegas is already a city that is struggling with water, and I would hate to see it become uninhabitable for locals because of profits,” Gage said.
We asked the City of North Las Vegas what the company plans to build on the newly purchased land and whether any development applications have been submitted. A spokesperson for the City of North Las Vegas said there are currently no plans they can share at this time.
This all comes after Boulder City's planning commission rejected Townsite Solar 2, a project involving an AI data center proposal, after hours of public opposition.
Switch is not the only data center company operating in the region — North Las Vegas currently has several others in the area, including Flexential, ColoXchange Nevada, Sierra Health Services, T-Mobile and Novva Data Centers.
For Gage, the issue goes beyond development.
“I have a son and I love this community, and I would hate for it to become uninhabitable,” she said.
Switch did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding the land purchase or its future plans for the property.
