San Angelo residents weigh Skybox data center proposal at city meeting

________________________ San Angelo residents packed into a meeting with city leaders and Skybox Data Centers as the company seeks to build a data center in the city, prompting a mix of support, skepticism and questions about how the project could affect local resources. RELATED | San Angelo to hold special meeting on proposed Skybox/Emergent data center April 22 City officials met with Skybox Data Centers representatives for a public discussion aimed at addressing common community questions. Company representatives acknowledged that other data center developments have not always been handled responsibly. A Skybox Data Centers representative told the audience, “A lot of just my feelings are on this topic, but not everybody is a responsible developer and operator. So some of the stories you see online...” They also broke down common questions like water usage within the project. "So today, I think the best way to describe it, as opposed to the system, is the radiator of your car, the cooling system on your car," they said. "You're filling up the pool, and it's a closed loop system." City leaders said they are proposing a conditional use process before moving forward. The process would create guidelines the facility must follow, including regulations on noise, water usage and other environmental impacts. A San Angelo City Council member said, “as a primary way, you could apply for a conditional use. As you say, you can—we would assume that the class—but all the other colors in there, they are not allowed by right. That would be our proposal to City Council.” City officials and engineers also addressed technical concerns related to noise, infrastructure and water usage. An engineer explained that any equipment generating vibration would be designed so that it does not carry beyond the property line or impact nearby homes. Officials also clarified that zoning rules are not the primary tool used to regulate water and wastewater. Instead, those are managed through the city’s utility ordinances. They said additional language would be added to ensure developers are required to follow those utility regulations, particularly regarding water consumption and wastewater discharge. Plans for the facility would also require enclosed or similar advanced cooling systems designed to minimize water use and eliminate the need for continuous withdrawals from the city’s water supply. City leaders added that proposed ordinances would set limits on water usage for cooling systems, including an initial fill allowance based on the size of the building, as defined in permitting guidelines. Community members spoke both for and against the proposed facility. Some asked that local businesses be given preference if construction moves forward. One community member said, “I respectfully ask that you and the project team give meaningful preference and consideration to all qualified local businesses—not just for security, but for any portion of work that can be performed within our community.” RELATED | San Angelo city council approves rezoning for data center project Others urged city leaders to consider potential environmental impacts, including water and energy use. Another community member said, “We do not have the water resources for hyperscale data centers and people in Texas don’t want the power lines that are going to be needed to support them.” Concerns were also raised about whether San Angelo has the resources to support a large-scale data center. Some residents voiced support for the project and the city’s effort to gather community input. One community member said, “I’m here to say I’m supportive and appreciative of our City Council for bringing this together.” Other attendees questioned the intent of the meeting itself. One community member said, “I think the community meeting was initially set to sell everybody that might have been on the fence I think they thought we would come in here not knowing anything.” DETAILS: https://ktxs.com/news/local/san-angelo-residents-weigh-skybox-data-center-proposal-at-city-meeting Follow us on social media: KTXS News on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KTXSTelevision KTXS News on X https://x.com/KTXS_News KTXS News on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ktxsnews/?hl=en For more information, visit https://ktxs.com/ Have a news tip? Send it to us at news@ktxs.com #datacenter #data #datascience