Judge dissolves Westlake data center restraining order, but fight continues
A district judge dissolved a temporary restraining order that had prevented the town of Westlake from voting on a proposed data center near homes in Keller. However, a lawsuit filed by the Lakes at Marshall Ridge Homeowners Association against Westlake, with Keller intervening, is still ongoing and scheduled for a hearing. The legal battle centers on claims of improper resident notification and adherence to zoning requirements.
A temporary restraining order (TRO) that had prevented the town of Westlake, Texas, from voting on a proposed data center near residential areas in Keller has been dissolved by a district judge in Fort Worth. Judge Kimberly Fitzpatrick lifted the TRO, citing insufficient time to review nearly 1,000 pages of documents submitted by both legal teams. However, the legal dispute is far from over, with a full hearing scheduled for October 23rd to address a lawsuit filed by the Lakes at Marshall Ridge Homeowners Association against Westlake.
The lawsuit, in which the City of Keller is an intervener, challenges Westlake's handling of the 1.1 million-square-foot data center project. Residents of the Lakes at Marshall Ridge, located approximately 550 feet from the proposed site, claim they were not properly notified of the development, while Westlake maintains it was not required to notify those outside its municipal limits. Furthermore, the suit alleges that Westlake failed to adhere to proper zoning requirements, although Westlake Mayor Kim Greaves previously stated the land has been zoned for industrial use since the 1990s.
Keller Mayor Ross McMullin expressed his city's commitment to advocating for its residents and presenting arguments on the 23rd, emphasizing the need for state guidance on data center proximity to neighborhoods. Westlake spokesperson Jon Sasser welcomed the dissolution of the TRO, expressing confidence that the entire dispute would be resolved at the upcoming hearing and reiterating Westlake's commitment to following Governor Abbott's directives on data center development. Former Westlake Planning and Zoning commissioner Linda Bjorn, also an intervener, reassured residents that despite the TRO's dissolution, the fight against the data center continues.