Red Oak residents sue city, officials to stop data center project
Red Oak residents have filed a lawsuit against the city and its officials over the rezoning of an 830-acre property for a data center development by Compass DataCenters. The lawsuit alleges that the city ordinance approving the rezoning was not lawfully adopted and seeks to invalidate it and prevent the project from advancing. Residents have also raised concerns about water and energy usage, traffic, and property values.
Two Red Oak residents, Elda Jazmin Villegas and Kathleen Estelle Heifrin, have filed a lawsuit against the City of Red Oak, Mayor Mark Stanfill, and five city council members. The lawsuit challenges the legality of a city ordinance that rezoned an 830-acre property from agricultural use to planned development for a "high tech industrial park," paving the way for a data center campus to be built by Dallas-headquartered Compass DataCenters.
The plaintiffs, who own property within 200 feet of the rezoned land, allege that city staff and elected officials failed to comply with mandatory voting, notice, and procedural requirements under Texas law and Red Oak's zoning rules. They are seeking injunctive relief to halt the development's progress during litigation and requesting the court to declare the ordinance invalid, reverting the property's zoning classification.
This legal action follows the Red Oak City Council's 4-1 vote on May 11 to approve the rezoning, overturning a 3-2 denial by the Red Oak Planning and Zoning Commission on April 27. Mayor Pro Tem Willie Franklin Jr., Sean Flannery, Ricardo Miller, and Tim Lightfoot voted in favor, while Jeffery Smith voted against; Mayor Stanfill did not vote.
Residents, including Villegas, an organizer with the grassroots group "Red Oak, TX
— Say No More Data Centers," have consistently opposed the project, attending public meetings and protesting. Their concerns encompass water and energy usage, increased traffic, property value impacts, and the broader effects of rapid, large-scale data center development near residential areas. Red Oak currently has seven operating or planned data center projects within its limits, and while officials highlight economic benefits like tax revenue and job creation, residents argue these upsides do not outweigh the negative local impacts.