North Texans demanded an energy conglomerate provide information about how plans to build a $10 billion data center in southeast Fort Worth will affect homes and natural resources.
Residents, including those from Forest Hill, packed a March 12 town hall hosted by Black Mountain where CEO Rhett Bennett and Bob Riley, a consultant with engineering firm Halff, presented a site plan.
The town hall came after Fort Worth City Council members tabled a vote Tuesday to approve additional rezoning that would give Black Mountain an additional 80 acres for its use. The company requested the delay so it could complete a report describing how the data center campus would impact the city’s infrastructure, Riley said.
Residents grew frustrated quickly into the meeting, expressing concerns about water usage, pollution and a lack of communication with residents about the project. Acreage acquired for the project stretches from just south of Esco Drive to Anglin Circle, and is sandwiched between Forest Hill and Kennedale.
Beckie Duncan Hayes, who lives in Forest Hill, said it’s inappropriate for the data center to be as close as it is proposed to be to neighborhoods.
“This is really bad for our city,” said Hayes. “If you guys were considering this, you should have taken it away to a different field, far away.”
Tuesday’s council meeting marked the third time the vote was pushed back.
In February, council member Chris Nettles requested the company return with details about the proposed land changes, along with clarifications on whether the additional acreage was needed for the data center.
Fort Worth leaders already rezoned over 450 acres of agricultural land to light industrial, which will allow for a data center at the property.
The site of the planned data center sits adjacent to homes and local businesses, including Weston Gardens.
Black Mountain is set to take the proposed site plan to zoning commissioners and council members for approval on April 8 and May 12, respectively.
The company wants to rezone more land to accommodate a million square feet of buildings, including a power substation.
The site plan reflects that Black Mountain will comply with all city ordinances, including requirements on landscaping, building height, tree canopy and parking space, Riley told attendees. The plan is a blueprint for a portion of the data center’s development.
“What we’re trying to do tonight with (Riley) is show people what the potential building layout would be and answer questions on that,” Bennett said.
The building closest to neighboring properties would sit 400 feet away from Lon Stephenson Road, Riley said. The developer wants to increase that building height from 55 feet to 70 feet to preserve open space by building upward and not outward.
Developers are required to obtain permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state entity that enforces environmental regulations, in order to move forward with data center campuses. Such permits include those on air quality.
The site was chosen due to several transmission lines in the area, Bennett said. He told council members in September that a “buffer” would be implemented between the data center and nearby homes and properties in response to residents’ concerns about noise and traffic congestion.
Data centers primarily rely on either natural gas or electricity to power computer processing. The state’s electrical grid, which powers 90% of Texas, is fueled by a combination of sources, with natural gas providing 51% of the grid’s energy.
Bennett reassured residents that the data center would not use a gas-fired power plant and would solely rely on the power grid.
Data centers have been met with opposition across the state — and country — due to their strain on energy and local water resources.
Residents requested information about the amount of water the data center would require for cooling.
The Black Mountain data center would use a closed-loop circuit, Bennett explained.
That technology recycles coolant within sealed pipes, an alternative to wasting or consuming water. Additionally, the company is conducting a water study, which would determine how much water the campus would need, Bennett said.
Mid-sized facilities can use up to 300,000 gallons of water a day, according to the World Resources Institute. Large facilities, particularly those processing artificial intelligence, can consume up to 5 million gallons a day for cooling — enough water to supply a small town.
The meeting grew tense as residents asked Bennett and Riley about why more details were not presented earlier, with some saying they were completely unaware of the project.
Forest Hill resident Brigette Mathis said those living along Lon Stephenson Road just learned about the data center’s development
“I know we do not own the land. I know Fort Worth controls that, but somehow Forest Hill is going to be connected,” Mathis said. “People did not know that you were putting something down that street.”
State law requires developers to notify residents who live within 200 feet from the site of any application for an environmental permit.
“There’s not a registered neighborhood association down here in this area, and the city would notify the registered neighborhood association,” Riley said. “Since there’s not one, we default to a community meeting.”
Over 300 letters were sent to nearby residents last year, Riley said.
“We should have known something through (City Council), and they should have been able to tell us that this was coming,” Mathis said.
Bennett said the company would return with an operator in two weeks to host an informative session about how natural resources are used and would be affected by the data center campus.
Fort Worth city officials are set to vote on the two zoning cases in June.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
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