Graham Seeks Data Center Safeguards After County Abatement Talks Collapse
Stream Data Centers withdrew from negotiations over a Young County tax abatement for its planned 2,500-acre hyperscale campus near Graham after opposition from local landowners. Graham officials are instead advancing a proposed agreement with Stream developer Headwaters Site Development that would provide water and wastewater services while requiring cooling, noise, lighting and infrastructure protections.
Stream Data Centers has abandoned negotiations with Young County over a tax abatement for its planned hyperscale data center campus near Graham, according to County Judge Win Graham. The abatement was intended to secure environmental, quality-of-life and infrastructure commitments, including buffers, noise and lighting limits, water safeguards, road improvements and funding for additional sheriff’s deputies. The negotiations ended after months of opposition from a group of landowners, leaving the county’s proposed protections unsecured as construction is expected to begin in November.
Two days later, the Graham City Council unanimously agreed to release a draft agreement with Headwaters Site Development LLC, the Stream project’s developer, and schedule a public hearing. The proposed contract would provide wastewater and reclaimed-water services in exchange for infrastructure payments and operating restrictions, including closed-loop cooling, noise limits, lighting controls and payment for electrical upgrades. Key issues, including water volumes and cleanup escrow funding, remain unresolved, and the city agreement does not include all protections sought by the county.