Granbury approves data center power plant, despite resident pleas

On April 7, the Granbury City Council voted to rezone a 2,000-acre parcel of land, allowing a power plant for a future data center to be built. This decision was made despite strong opposition from dozens of local residents and against the recommendation of the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission. The site, located along Meadow Wood Road, had its annexation approved by the City Council in January. Dallas-based developer Bilateral Energy LLC had previously secured an emissions permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in July 2025 for a facility comprising eight simple-cycle power turbines and 87 linear generators at 1225 Meadow Wood Road. Bilateral Energy's website promotes its focus on "powering data centers, empowering the grid" with "private power infrastructure" for AI data centers. During the joint City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, residents like Shannon Wolf voiced concerns that proposed new zoning ordinances defining "data center" and "power generation" would not be sufficiently enforceable against large developers. Planning & Zoning commissioners debated the ordinances, with the commission ultimately recommending denial of the rezoning request. Despite this, the City Council unanimously approved the ordinance additions and then voted 5-1 to approve both the future use changes and the rezoning. Residents, including Rachel Jacobson, also expressed deep distrust in the City Council, alleging a lack of transparency regarding their knowledge of the development and communications with the developers. Jacobson stated, "We still have a lot of fight left in us," indicating ongoing opposition.