Red Oak residents pack council meeting to oppose proposed 800-acre data center campus

The Red Oak City Council in Texas approved the rezoning for a proposed 800-acre data center campus by Compass Datacenters, despite a packed council meeting and widespread opposition from local residents. The proposal involves rezoning agricultural land for industrial use near Pierce Road, Pratt Road, Oglesby Road, and FM 2377. Residents protested before and during the meeting, expressing concerns about the project's impact on the rural character of the area, lack of transparency in the notification process, noise pollution, increased traffic, air quality, water usage, property value depreciation, and strain on the power grid. Residents like Jazmin Villegas accused the city of failing to properly notify nearby homeowners, while Cindi Stephenson advocated for data centers to be located in industrial areas away from residential communities. Longtime resident Martel Edwards claimed her property value had dropped significantly due to existing data center developments. Red Oak City Manager Todd Fuller addressed the residents' concerns during a presentation, stating the Compass project would utilize a closed-loop cooling system to minimize water consumption and would not connect to the public water system. He also highlighted potential infrastructure improvements, such as enhanced fire protection, and noted that city ordinances restrict noise pollution to 70 decibels at the property line. Fuller also referenced Senate Bill 6, which allows large energy users like data centers to be curtailed during grid emergencies, to assuage fears about power grid reliability.