Residents in Fort Worth and Benbrook gathered on March 16 to discuss how to voice their opinions about a data center coming to far west Fort Worth.
Emily Holshouser
Fort Worth City Council member Michael Crain has submitted a request for an informal report from city staff, asking for more information about how the city evaluates, negotiates and approves data center projects, including related incentives.
On Monday, March 23, Crain asked for information on nine items, including overviews of zoning and development standards for data centers, economic incentives, state reviews, and a summary “of current state-level activity related to AI and data centers.”
The request comes ahead of a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 24, when Fort Worth and Benbrook residents will meet with Crain and representatives from Edged Data Centers, which wants to build a data center on 186 acres between Interstate 20 and Aledo Road, near Veale Ranch, a 5,200 acre residential and commercial development.
The Fort Worth City Council is set to consider a $1.1 billion economic development agreement on March 31 with Edged Data Centers.
The proposal has raised concerns among residents in both Fort Worth and Benbrook, who say the data center will create construction traffic, generate noise, and sap water resources that would affect the city of Benbrook as well.
The land that Edged purchased is roughly a mile from Benbrook city limits. A group of residents has created the 2871 Community Coalition, a group of “west Fort Worth residents who live near the FM 2871/Veale Ranch area.”
The 2871 Community Coalition has eight requests they want developers to meet as they negotiate with the city. Those requests include disclosures about water usage by the data center, an independent study on how much noise the data center would create, an environmental assessment, and financial transparency for the project.
On Tuesday, Benbrook Place 5 council member Sean Moore said that he is not for or against the development — but he wants Benbrook to have a say in the aspects that will affect the city and its resources.
“It’s unfortunate that we have no say, even though our neighborhoods are — in that area of south Benbrook — right up against whatever is going to go there,” Moore said.
Tuesday’s meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Rolling Hills Elementary School, 10351 Orchard Way in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Emily Holshouser is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.