How one AI data center listing sent Jacinto City into action
Jacinto City leaders passed a resolution formally opposing data center development within city limits after a real estate listing advertised a former glass bottle factory as a potential AI data center site. The city plans to study the impacts and establish ordinances to mitigate potential negative effects from industrial facilities, including data centers, and will not offer tax incentives. Despite initial resident alarm, city officials clarified they were not actively recruiting a data center developer and are in discussions with a different company for the property.
Jacinto City, Texas, passed a formal resolution on July 2, 2026, expressing opposition to data center development within city limits until further information and policy direction can be obtained and evaluated. This action followed public outcry after a commercial real estate listing by Marcus and Millichap advertised a former glass bottle factory at 4202 Fidelity St. as a potential site for a large AI data center, drawing hundreds of calls and emails from concerned residents.
City Manager Lon Squyres stated that city officials were as surprised as residents by the listing and emphasized that the city was not actively recruiting a data center developer. He explained that while the 30-acre site's heavy industrial zoning and existing high-voltage infrastructure make it suitable for a data center, no company has formally approached Jacinto City with a proposal. An outright ban could lead to lawsuits, but the city plans to establish ordinances to regulate potential negative impacts, such as noise, power draw, and water use, for any industrial facility.
Squyres confirmed that offering tax incentives for data centers is