In an effort to give residents a chance to discuss a data center planned in Westlake on a site near the Keller border, the Keller City Council is holding a special meeting Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Keller Town Hall.
Mayor Ross McMullin said Keller residents can share their concerns and “frustrations.”
“The City Council will also meet in executive session to consult with legal counsel regarding the Westlake project’s approval process and procedures, among other legal and personnel matters,” McMullin wrote in a Facebook post.
Residents of the Lakes at Marshall Ridge, a neighborhood that is about 506 square feet from the site, previously attended an August meeting for the Town of Westlake’s Planning and Zoning commission, where at least 30 of the more than 100 attendees spoke against the development of the data center.
One of those residents, Ben Buckwalter, asked the commission if this was the best location that Westlake could find and why the data center wasn’t closer to Westlake.
“We’re not asking you to kill this project, we are asking you to move it,” Buckwalkter said.
Keller residents upset about the proximity of the proposed data center to their Lakes at Marshall Ridge community. Fousia Abdullahi fousia.abdullahi@star-telegram.com
Previously, McMullin and city council members attended a Marshall Ridge homeowners association meeting to discuss the proposed center.
“While Westlake would like discussions about zoning history to be the focus of the conversation, the City of Keller remains focused on the residents, especially those who live closest to this proposed development and the potential impacts they may experience,” McMullin wrote on Facebook Aug. 6.
Here is what we know about the data center so far:
The proposed 1.1-million-square-foot 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.
According to Tarrant Appraisal District records, the data center will be located on land owned by an LP located at 9800 Hillwood Parkway Suite 300, which is associated with Hillwood.
Rendering of the proposed Circle T Data Center at 13580 Denton Highway in Westlake. Courtesy of The Town of Westlake
Powerhouse, a Virginia-based developer, agreed to some provisions to help control the noise and line of sight of the center, including:
A landscaped berm along U.S. Highway 377A minimum 75-foot landscape buffer along the southern property lineMature vegetation planted throughout the berm and surrounding landscape to further screen the facility and enhance sound attenuationAn increased building setback beyond what is required under the planned development standards to further improve buffering
Gov. Greg Abbott released a directive Aug. 3 to the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ordering the agencies to conduct an audit of data centers before any more can be approved.
On Aug. 9, former Keller Mayor Armin Mizani posted on Facebook, saying he sent a letter to the PUCT, asking the commission to ensure that the Westlake data center goes through an audit, per Abbott’s directive.
Mizani said he wanted to set the record straight again about his involvement in the discussion about the data center with Westlake.
“Nearly two years ago, Westlake included the city manager and me in a brief courtesy discussion regarding a potential development located entirely within Westlake,” Mizani wrote. “At the time, we understood that Hillwood had only recently been approached by a developer and that the concept was merely a possibility.”
Council member Shannon Dubberly commented on Mizani’s post with concerns about the possible water usage of the data center.
“Not just for our area, but the state,” Dubberly said. “We need Austin to look at this, and protect our state from making myopic decisions.”
In a video of a December 2024 planning and zoning commission meeting, Eric Elrod, a representative with Hillwood, said the company wants to build a quality development like other properties in the area and addressed the meeting with Mizani and City Manager Aaron Rector.
“Also, do want to mention that we did meet today with the City of Keller Mayor and their City manager as well as the Westlake mayor and town manager,” Elrod said. “Just to be a good neighbor and explain to them, what we think we are doing on the adjacent property line with them, and I think we could say at the end of the meeting they were very pleased with what we were proposing.”
Westlake Town Council meeting
In addition to the Keller City Council, 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 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17.
“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.
Star-Telegram reporter Emily Holshouser contributed to this report.
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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.