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Westlake votes on contested data center near Keller
Westlake Town Council votes on a development agreement for a proposed data center near Keller, amid neighbor pushback, legal action, and heightened security.
WESTLAKE, Texas - The Westlake Town Council is expected to be packed on Monday night as leaders discuss the future of a new data center.
The project 30 minutes north of Fort Worth is drawing intense criticism.
Westlake Data Center
What's new:
Monday’s meeting is not about whether a data center should be on that land in Westlake. That’s already been decided.
Instead, the council is voting on a development agreement. They will decide on architecture and landscaping requirements to ensure proper installation and care of the infrastructure.
The meeting starts at 4 p.m., although people are advised to arrive early for a security screening. Recent violent threats made toward the Westlake Town Council have prompted extra security.
Previous meetings have gone into the early morning hours and have required an overflow room. This one will likely be no different.
Westlake Data Center proposal sparks public backlash at zoning meeting
The Westlake Planning and Zoning Commission voted Tuesday night to approve a proposed data center despite hours of opposition from residents of both Westlake and neighboring Keller.
The backstory:
The new data center site is off Highway 377 near the border with the city of Keller.
Many Keller neighbors and city leaders have already spoken out against the project. They’re concerned about electricity use, water consumption, noise, and their property values.
On its website, Westlake said the data center will use less water than a Texas golf course uses in a year and that it will not cause electricity bills in Westlake to increase.
Keller neighbors have hired their own legal council to try to fight the project.
Westlake leaders have said at this point they cannot stop the construction.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Westlake Town Council meeting agenda and past news coverage.