A proposed data center across the road from Tarleton State University in southwest Fort Worth that has drawn protests from neighbors received City Council approval Sept. 17. 

The council voted 6-2 to approve a zoning change that was required before the site could be used for construction of the five-building data center. 

That’s not the last step in the process, though, as the developers must submit a site plan, to be approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the council, and meet rules regarding water use before construction can begin. 

“We’ve been meeting on this particular zoning case for several months now, back since May,” said City Council member Jared Williams, who represents District 6, where the project is located. “I’ve never in my entire career seen this level of engagement, both from neighbors and also from applicants on zoning cases.” 

Williams said the project’s taxable value would be $750 million, making it close to, if not one of, the top five taxable projects in the city. In making his motion to approve the zoning change, he said developers worked with the neighborhood to ease some of their concerns. 

Several residents of the neighboring Panther Heights community spoke against the proposed rezoning. They would like to see the area become a mixed-use site. 

“The area is designed for a mixed-use development that could add restaurants and other retailers out here, which we need,” Panther Heights resident Ericka Schwan-Ornelas said before the meeting. 

She cited traffic, light pollution, energy consumption, water use and noise as issues of concern related to the data center. She also noted the potential 105-foot height of the buildings. 

Some residents spoke in favor of the project, citing changes the company had made to the project. 

WUSF 5 Rock Creek East purchased the land in September 2015. The data center campus, at 10375 Old Granbury Road, would contain five buildings and have a building height ranging from 45 feet to 105 feet. 

Travis Clegg, the director of Westwood Professional Services and a representative for the owner and developer, said they had met with the public several times to work on issues related to the data center, such as noise, building height, traffic and other issues. 

“This site is highly sought after for a major data center investment, and that data center could process data for AI services, cell phone connectivity, internet storage, clouds or cloud storage and streaming services. But what it’s not is a Bitcoin operation,” he said. 

Bitcoin sites typically produce more noise than a data center, he said. 

The site would consist of five buildings with about 1.5 million-square-foot buildings on 90 of the 120 acres developers have purchased. 

They will preserve a corner for commercial development, with an open space set aside featuring park-like amenities to provide a buffer between the center and residences. 

The data center, Clegg said, is located about 1,400 feet away from the nearest homes, twice as far as the homes closest to the Facebook data center in north Fort Worth. 

The data center company plans to involve Tarleton students as part of its operations, he said. 

In July, the Planning and Zoning Commission denied the zoning change. City staff, citing compatibility issues with the nearby neighborhoods, recommended against the rezoning. 

The city’s comprehensive plan, which guides zoning decisions, had designated the land near Tarleton State to become mixed use. City staff felt that a data center would not match future land use expectations.

The applicant’s request relates to a tract of land alongside the east side of Chisholm Trail Parkway. 

The 120-acre site is currently zoned for “planned development” but would require a waiver to allow a data center on the property. The city defines planned development as special district zoning that allows for future development ranging from residential to mixed use, requiring a site plan to be approved before development. 

“That would just look out of place here where there are primarily single family homes,” Schwan-Ornelas said. 

The area outlined in black is where a company plans to locate a data center. (Courtesy image | City of Fort Worth)

Data centers have become big business in Dallas-Fort Worth. According to the Cushman & Wakefield Data Center Report, about 3.3 million square feet of data center space is under construction as of mid-year and vacancy rates remain low in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

A report from JLL says that the Dallas-Fort Worth area is becoming a popular site for data centers because many other areas are constrained for power resources. 

Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.