Residents in the southeast Dallas neighborhood of Joppa were caught off guard when a small, noisy center moved in close by.
Denise Fowler said she saw it last week when she passed the property on South Central Expressway – a row of mechanical boxes surrounded by a black metal fence about 900 square feet around. The noise sounds like a jet airplane about to take off.
“The community knew nothing about it,” Fowler said. “If other cities don't want it, and I mean huge cities larger than our community, what makes them think that we would want one here in our community?”
The data center is one of more than 250 facilities that are operating, planned or under construction in North Texas. It's just a stone’s throw away from the historical Freedman's neighborhood founded by formerly enslaved people that has faced decades of environmental injustice because of heavy industry nearby.
“It's just putting everybody in a daze, so like what's really going on, you know?” said Joppa resident Emmanuel Davis. “Everyone is looking for information on it to see what harm it could be causing.”
Miriam Fields, who also lives nearby, said the recently built data center is a "slap in the face" for a community that already faces high cancer rates and ongoing pollution. Residents in the predominantly Black neighborhood for years called for the closure of a controversial concrete batch plant before it shut down in 2023.
“It appears to be that Joppa is the community or one of the communities that seems to be picked on for environmental injustice,” Fields said. “I feel that if we would have known that it was coming we would have had some fight or pushback.”
Fields said she has concerns over the noise, water use and the potential for higher electricity bills connected to the data center. It’s unknown if the facility is having an impact on the local water or power supplies, but Fields said she wants more information on why the city permitted the facility.
KERA reached out to the city of Dallas for comment on the permitting process for the facility and will update this story with any response.
Tabitha Wheeler, who sits on the city’s planning commission, said in a public Facebook post last week that the property is zoned an industrial area for “utility use.”
“Because that use is allowed under the existing zoning, there was no zoning change that required approval from the City Plan Commission or City Council,” Wheeler wrote. “When a use is allowed by right, it means that the use is already permitted under the existing zoning, provided the project meets all other applicable City requirements.”
The facility is named Danik Data Center in a public registry. Records show it's owned by Mahesh Patel, whose name is listed as the property owner for the Linfield Motel next door. The two properties are connected by a long electric chord that looks like an extension cable.
KERA reached out to the motel for a comment from Patel, but was told he was unavailable.
Fields and Fowler said they are planning a community meeting about the data center before the end of the year.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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