Taylor, Texas, confident in water supply as data center zoning petition faces legal action
Taylor, Texas, officials assert the city has sufficient water resources for the next three decades, despite increasing industrial demands including data centers. However, active litigation has put a halt to city discussions regarding a citizen-led petition. This petition aims to impose a temporary moratorium on data center development and amend zoning regulations to restrict their locations.
Taylor, Texas, officials, including Mayor Jim Buzan and Brazos River Authority (BRA) Chief Operations Officer Brad Brunett, have assured residents that the city has a robust water supply capable of meeting demands for the next 30-plus years. This assessment considers current and projected industrial growth, specifically mentioning new data centers.
Simultaneously, the city is embroiled in a legal dispute over a petition submitted by the Halt Taylor Data Centers coalition. The petition, which garnered 1,400 signatures, seeks to temporarily halt all data center development and modify the city's land development code to restrict data centers to a yet-to-be-created specific zoning district. City leaders initially refused to act on the petition, citing state zoning procedures that cannot be bypassed by a voter initiative.
However, Halt Taylor Data Centers subsequently filed a writ of mandamus with the 3rd Court of Appeals to compel the city to place the matter on the November 3 ballot. Due to this active litigation, Mayor Buzan has stated that the city cannot comment further on the petition. No decision has been rendered by the appeals court justices.