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Keller City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing Westlake’s data center.Mayor McMullin said Keller hired counsel and may pursue legal action if Westlake advances.Residents packed the meeting, voiced concerns about noise, property values and wetlands.
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Westlake data center
Everything you need to know about what’s happening with the Westlake data center proposed for a site near the Keller border.
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Mayor Ross McMullin and the Keller City Council unanimously approved a resolution early Thursday morning in opposition to an upcoming data center proposed for a site in Westlake near the Keller border.
The highly-contested, 1.1 million-square-foot data center complex was announced by the Town of Westlake at the end of July. The proposed data center complex is on a parcel of vacant land along Denton Highway in Westlake, which straddles Tarrant and Denton counties. A spokesperson for the Town of Westlake previously told the Star-Telegram the data center, at 13580 Denton Highway, will sit on 87.9 acres and will include four buildings, with a total of 1.1 million square feet.
McMullin called the special Aug. 12 city council meeting so that Keller residents could address the entire council for the first time since the data center was announced about how the data center would impact their quality of life.
There were so many residents at the meeting, the fire marshal told some people to clear the aisles and the back of the room for safety reasons. The city provided an additional room and the foyer of the Town Hall for people to listen to the meeting.
The meeting lasted from 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12 until 12:22 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, including a nearly two-hour closed session where council members crafted the resolution.
Data center site plans
McMullin said at the start of the meeting that the Keller community cares about their city and their quality of life.
“Every town in Texas should have the right to protect its borders, its infrastructure, its school, its neighborhoods and its residents, and every Texan, regardless of what city they live in, deserves meaningful notice and an opportunity to be heard when a project of this magnitude is proposed in their backyard,” McMullin said.
McMullin said the city obtained a letter addressed to the Westlake Town Council from the Cook Law Firm prior to the meeting Wednesday that called the legality of Westlake’s process for considering the project into question.
Keller Mayor Ross McMullin is pictured during a meeting for a planned data center in Westlake on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026 in Keller. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The letter from attorney Ashley Cook said that the Westlake Town Council should not vote to take action on the data center agreement during its upcoming Aug. 17 meeting.
Cook said in the letter that the data center site plan does not show the buffer yard that the planned development requires around the residential boundary.
Cook’s letter also:
Questioned the ordinance requirementsRaised contradictions about the floodplainSaid the developer’s compliance chart does not analyze the buffer requirementsClaimed the conditions put on the developer about the berm or sound barriers along the southern wall are not enough.
Cook also said in the letter that if Westlake approves the agreement for the data center, it will make all the problems with the buffer zone permanent.
“These concerns deserve to be fully addressed before Westlake takes any further action,” McMullin said.
McMullin added that he will put an item on the council agenda to formally take legal measures if Westlake takes further action on the proposed data center.
After the first closed session of the night, McMullin made a motion that passed unanimously to hire legal counsel to represent Keller regarding the data center.
People listen to public comment over a planned data center in Westlake during Keller City Council on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026 in Keller. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Westlake has its elected officials. They have their responsibilities, and we have ours. Keller is not going to sit on the sidelines, while a massive 1.1 million-square-foot data center is proposed 506 feet from the backyard of Keller residents,” McMullin said.
McMullin said he wants Westlake to consider Keller’s concerns before moving further into the process.
“When a project of this scale could affect Keller’s water infrastructure, taxpayers, neighborhoods, public safety, property values and quality of life, Keller has every right to demand answers and every obligation to protect our residents,” McMullin said.
“Being a good neighbor does not mean being a silent neighbor. Our residents elected us to protect this community. They expect us to stand up when something threatens the character and quality of life we have worked so hard to build … We will fight for Keller’s interests every step of the way.
“As leaders, we don’t roll over when communities need us. We don’t roll over, we don’t point fingers and pass the buck, we rise to the occasion and we work together.”
‘Children in Keller are just as important as children in Westlake’
Tim Johns, a Keller resident and an audio engineer for close to 50 years, played a sound on his phone during his public comment that he said was in the “100 to 250 hertz low-frequency range that the data centers generate every minute of every day.
“When it comes to the many negative audio consequences of data centers, we need our city leaders to take immediate and aggressive action to stop this infraction being forced on us,” Johns said.
Community members pack into the Keller City Council chambers for a meeting to voice their concerns over a planned data center in Westlake on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026 in Keller. The chambers hit capacity at the start of the meeting pushing some people into an overflow space. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Cynthia Jacobs, a Marshall Ridge resident, said she is worried about her concerns not mattering to the data center developer.
“I am concerned about my property value,” Jacobs said. “No one wants to live near a data center. I’m worried about the beautiful wetland area, and I want it to be protected. That section of the greenbelt is such a gift to myself, my family, my fellow community members.”
Another resident, Susan Eiland, said she was concerned for the kids in the Marshall Ridge neighborhood, especially those who have autism, ADHD or dyslexia.
“My point is simple: Children in Keller are just as important as children in Westlake,” Eiland said.
Keller city council member comments
After the second closed session, McMullin said the council’s resolution outlines all the concerns that Keller residents mentioned.
Council member Jarrett Armstrong said that the after-effect of the announcement of the data center was a ”true representation of bipartisan effort” in Keller.
Council member Chris Whatley said the entire council has been upset about the news of a data center, and vowed to do everything in his official capacity to protect Keller residents.
“If Westlake continues to refuse to listen to residents, this resolution and comments from the city council tonight made it clear that Keller will not hesitate to act,” McMullin said before adjourning the meeting. “All of our legal options are on the table.”
Keller City Council holds a meeting for residents to voice their concerns over a planned data center in Westlake on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026 in Keller. The data center would be built at 13580 Denton Highway in Westlake. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram What’s next?
The Westlake Town Council also called a special meeting to discuss and take action on the data center development agreement. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17 at 4 p.m.
“Because of the level of community interest, the Town believes this topic deserves to be a standalone agenda item,” a city spokesperson said in an email to the Star-Telegram.
The council will vote on the development agreement for the data center, but will not vote on whether the data center should be on the vacant land along U.S. 377, as the data center is allowed by right. The development agreement is a legally binding document to ensure the proper installation of infrastructure, and other requirements such as architecture and landscaping that will comply with Westlake’s ordinances.
Keller police will provide extra security for the meeting after a person threatened gun violence against Westlake council members on social media last week over the data center. Westlake contracts with the City of Keller for police services.
Star-Telegram reporter Emily Holshouser and service team editor Jake Harris contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 13, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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Fousia Abdullahi is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram news reporter who covers suburban cities including Southlake, Colleyville, Grapevine and Keller. She enjoys reading and attending local events. Send tips by email or phone.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
With my guide dog Freddie, I keep tabs on growth, economic development and other issues in Northeast Tarrant cities and other communities near Fort Worth. I’ve been a reporter at the Star-Telegram for 34 years.