Westlake data center proposal sparks concerns from Keller residents

KELLER, Texas - Keller residents who live along the border with Westlake are raising concerns about a proposed data center planned in neighboring Westlake, saying the project would be located just steps from their homes.

Westlake meeting on proposed data center

What we know:

On Sunday, Keller residents packed a community meeting with Mayor Armin McMullin and members of the City Council to voice their concerns ahead of a Westlake meeting where the proposed data center will be discussed.

Although the proposed data center would not be built in Keller, residents who live near the city line say it would be effectively in their backyard.

"We are really the ground zero neighborhood or one street neighborhood for this data center," Keller resident Kevin Myers said. "The city of Westlake says it's going to be 506 feet from our back property line."

Residents speak against data center

What they're saying:

Myers, whose backyard borders the proposed site, said he and his neighbors were caught off guard when they learned about the project last week.

"You know, and of course, the big concern is how it's going to negatively affect our property values, how much that's going to drop them, and then two, you know, these things are known to have a lot of noise, how that will affect us, and then the other one is the environmental impact," Myers said.

"What I'm asking is, what's really our timeline and our shot clock to object to this," Keller resident Trevor Oaks said.

Another resident, whose name was not identified during the meeting, said the project's proximity to homes is the primary concern. Because the project is entirely within Westlake city limits, Keller leaders said they do not have the authority to stop it.

Dig deeper:

However, McMullin said he wishes neighboring officials had communicated with Keller sooner.

"So I'm going to be really nice in trying to say this because I would like to maintain an excellent working relationship with the town of Westlake," McMullin said. "But my expectation would be if the shoe were on the other foot, my expectation of our city manager and staff, and I think, and I can speak for the rest of council on this, is that we would proactively inform them."

Westlake officials have said the proposed data center will meet the town's noise standards, have minimal impact on traffic once it opens and generate millions of dollars in tax revenue.

McMullin said Keller plans to focus its feedback on issues raised by residents.

"I'm thinking about setbacks, location, noise, all these criteria that our residents have mentioned. That's what we're going to be taking to the town of Westlake," he said. "Our top priority is advocating for our residents."

What's next:

The Westlake Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to review the site's development plans on Tuesday.