San Antonio Residents Push Back Against West Side Data Center
San Antonio residents are actively opposing a newly constructed and partly operational data center in Westover Hills, developed by Vantage Data Centers. Concerns primarily focus on environmental impacts, air quality from diesel generators and a collocated gas plant, noise pollution, and water usage, despite the facility already having appropriate zoning. A public hearing held by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) highlighted community anger and a lack of transparency from the developer, prompting calls for stronger state and local regulations.
San Antonio residents voiced strong opposition during a late May public hearing regarding a new data center operated by Denver-based Vantage Data Centers in the Westover Hills neighborhood. Despite the facility, located at 5207 Rogers Road, being already constructed and partly operational, dozens of angry residents expressed concerns about noise, light pollution, and potential environmental and health impacts from its operations.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) convened the meeting to gather input on a pending air-quality permit for the 360,000-square-foot facility. However, the discussion quickly broadened to include grievances about the data center industry's opaque practices, resource consumption, and perceived lack of local benefits. While Vantage representatives stated the facility uses a closed-loop cooling system for "virtually zero" water usage and would only use 65 backup diesel generators in "actual emergencies," residents and environmental advocates like Adrian Shelley of Public Citizen and Rachel Hanes of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance (GEAA) challenged these claims. They highlighted a regulatory loophole that treats a collocated gas plant, operated by Houston-based VoltaGrid, as a separate entity, downplaying the data center's overall environmental footprint.
Concerns also centered on the concentration of data centers in San Antonio, particularly in District 6, where fifteen are already located. Councilman Ric Galvan, who represents the district, noted that the Vantage facility required no city permission to open as the land was already zoned for commercial use. He submitted a proposal last fall for a comprehensive discussion on the industry's impacts, calling for San Antonio to responsibly plan for the future regarding electricity, water, and neighborhoods. However, advocates like Shelley believe Galvan's proposal, focused on data gathering, does not go far enough to regulate existing or future facilities.
Environmental groups like GEAA are actively working with Texas lawmakers to draft legislation addressing regulatory blindspots, especially concerning water usage, as current state plans do not account for data centers' consumption. Despite active opposition, environmental experts believe there is "no real hope of stopping" the new Vantage data center from becoming fully operational, as the remaining permit process is seen as a formality by the TCEQ.