{"id":406244,"date":"2026-08-14T07:00:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/406244\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T07:00:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:00:24","slug":"keller-council-opposes-westlake-data-center-vows-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/406244\/","title":{"rendered":"Keller council opposes Westlake data center, vows action"},"content":{"rendered":"

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AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

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Keller City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing Westlake\u2019s 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<\/p>\n

\n Everything you need to know about what\u2019s happening with the Westlake data center proposed for a site near the Keller border.\n <\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

The highly-contested, 1.1 million-square-foot data center complex was announced by the Town of Westlake<\/a> at the end of July. The proposed data center complex<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

McMullin called the special Aug. 12 city council meeting<\/a> so that Keller residents could address the entire council<\/a> for the first time since the data center was announced about how the data center would impact their quality of life.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Data center site plans<\/p>\n

McMullin said at the start of the meeting that the Keller community cares about their city and their quality of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery 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,\u201d McMullin said.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s process for considering the project into question.<\/p>\n

\"Keller 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 <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Cook said in the letter that the data center site plan does not show the buffer yard that the planned development requires<\/a> around the residential boundary.<\/p>\n

Cook\u2019s letter also:<\/p>\n

Questioned the ordinance requirementsRaised contradictions about the floodplainSaid the developer\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese concerns deserve to be fully addressed before Westlake takes any further action,\u201d McMullin said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"People 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 <\/p>\n

\u201cWestlake 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,\u201d McMullin said.<\/p>\n

McMullin said he wants Westlake to consider Keller\u2019s concerns before moving further into the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a project of this scale could affect Keller\u2019s 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,\u201d McMullin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing 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\u2019s interests every step of the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs leaders, we don\u2019t roll over when communities need us. We don\u2019t roll over, we don\u2019t point fingers and pass the buck, we rise to the occasion and we work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Children in Keller are just as important as children in Westlake\u2019<\/p>\n

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 \u201c100 to 250 hertz low-frequency range that the data centers generate every minute of every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 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,\u201d Johns said.<\/p>\n

\"Community 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 <\/p>\n

Cynthia Jacobs, a Marshall Ridge resident, said she is worried about her concerns not mattering to the data center developer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am concerned about my property value,\u201d Jacobs said. \u201cNo one wants to live near a data center. I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another resident, Susan Eiland, said she was concerned for the kids in the Marshall Ridge neighborhood, especially those who have autism, ADHD or dyslexia.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy point is simple: Children in Keller are just as important as children in Westlake,\u201d Eiland said.<\/p>\n

Keller city council member comments<\/p>\n

After the second closed session, McMullin said the council\u2019s resolution outlines all the concerns that Keller residents mentioned.<\/p>\n

Council member Jarrett Armstrong said that the after-effect of the announcement of the data center was a \u201dtrue representation of bipartisan effort\u201d in Keller.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf 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,\u201d McMullin said before adjourning the meeting. \u201cAll of our legal options are on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Keller 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\u2019s next?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the level of community interest, the Town believes this topic deserves to be a standalone agenda item,\u201d a city spokesperson said in an email to the Star-Telegram.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s ordinances.<\/p>\n

Keller police will provide extra security for the meeting<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Star-Telegram reporter Emily Holshouser and service team editor Jake Harris contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published August 13, 2026 at 5:00 AM.<\/p>\n

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Fousia Abdullahi<\/a><\/p>\n

Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n

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.\n <\/p>\n


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Elizabeth Campbell<\/a><\/p>\n

Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n

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\u2019ve been a reporter at the Star-Telegram for 34 years.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom. Read our AI Policy. Keller City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-406244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=406244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/406245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=406244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=406244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=406244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}