Red Oak resident files lawsuit against city for data center development

Red Oak, Texas residents, led by Jazmin Villegas, have filed a lawsuit against the city, its mayor, and five council members over the alleged unlawful rezoning of an 830-acre property for a "high-tech industrial park" intended for data centers. The lawsuit, filed in Ellis County, claims city officials failed to follow mandatory voting, notice, and procedural requirements under city zoning rules and Texas law when rezoning the agricultural land in May. Villegas and another resident live within 200 feet of the affected property and claim they received no notice of the proposed development.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa held a press conference at Villegas's property, expressing solidarity with the residents and criticizing the lack of transparency and legal protections for Texans against such developments. She called on her opponent, Gov. Greg Abbott, to convene a special session to enact stronger legal safeguards. Hinojosa also dismissed Abbott's temporary moratorium on data center approvals, enacted in early August pending utility grid audits, as a politically motivated move likely to be lifted after the upcoming midterms.

The article notes that North Texas is a major data center market and highlights growing bipartisan opposition to hyperscale data centers across the state, citing environmental concerns like noise, light pollution, and water usage. A recent poll from the University of Texas at Austin indicates that 57% of Texans oppose data center construction in local communities.