Taylor Council Approves Agreement for Proposed 664-Acre Data Center Campus Amid Resident Concerns
Taylor City Council approved a development agreement that could enable a 664-acre data center campus near Taylor, with annexation still pending. Nearby residents continue to raise concerns about air quality, noise, water use and their lack of voting representation, while city officials and developers cite monitoring, reclaimed-water cooling and other protections.
The Taylor City Council approved a development agreement on Oct. 8 for a proposed 664-acre data center campus just outside the city. The agreement could allow Taylor to annex the property and impose project-specific requirements, including noise limits, property-line monitoring, landscaping buffers, water and wastewater rules, and environmental reporting. Annexation and a state air-permit review remain outstanding.
Residents living near the site, including Connie Zycha and retired priest Terry Pierce, said the campus could damage the area’s rural character and affect air quality, noise levels and quality of life. They also objected to being unable to vote in Taylor elections because they live outside the city. Community organizer Carrie D’Anna of Halt Taylor Centers called for more information and transparency.
City officials said the agreement provides stronger protections than would apply in unincorporated Williamson County. Big Watt Digital and PowerHouse Data Centers said the project would use dedicated on-site natural-gas generation and reclaimed-water cooling. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has received the application for an air permit but has not begun its technical review, while Taylor is developing broader data center zoning rules that would not apply retroactively to this project.