A lifelong Wilmer resident campaigned on a promise to regulate the rapid growth of data centers in and around the small town south of Dallas — and won.
Council member-elect Moses Garcia said apart from industry, he hasn’t seen much growth in his city of about 7,000 people over the years.
“The last time that we had anything in Wilmer was the main strip in town, and that was done when I was like 10 years old,” Garcia said.
Low tax rates and city incentives have turned the town and surrounding area into a hub of industrial development in recent years. Major companies like Procter & Gamble, Ace Hardware and Amazon have built warehouses in the largely rural corner of southern Dallas County.
Quality Technology Services — or QTS — recently began developing a multi-building data center campus southwest of the town. According to the company, several facilities are under development and more are under review.
“South Dallas is a key growth area for the region’s digital and industrial economy, and Wilmer is well positioned to benefit given its location, infrastructure, and existing industrial base,” read the statement. “QTS expanded in Wilmer to support long-term growth and to serve as a committed community partner.”
The multi-billion dollar company has donated $25,000 to the Wilmer Fire Department and took part in an initiative to plant more trees in the region, but Garcia said residents are wary of the new development as data center growth threatens energy and water supplies in other small Texas towns.
The QTS development caught his attention when he first began campaigning for Wilmer’s city council.
“These data centers are taking over because they like to get in a county where they can run and do whatever they want without being restricted,” Garcia said.
During his campaign, Garcia posted videos on his personal Facebook page addressing residents about the need for stricter policies on data center development in the town, even as state leaders want to make Texas a data center hub.
Garcia won the council seat by two votes against George Leverett Jr., a retired Wilmer resident who currently sits on the city's Planning and Zoning commission.
Leverett said some data center businesses are "bad actors" that take up water and energy resources, but not in Wilmer.
"We've got systems in place that allow us to be restrictive, which is why we have the data centers that are here and those that are coming are absolutely going to be good neighbors," Leverett said. "None of those bad actors are allowed to operate here in Wilmer or around Wilmer."
The city told KERA that it reviews all proposed developments through an established zoning, permitting and public meeting process "in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal regulations."
“Proposed projects are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may include review by City staff, consultants, Planning & Zoning, and the City Council as applicable,” Wilmer city secretary Kristin Downs said in an emailed statement.
The city told KERA in a previous statement that data centers are projected to generate about $3 million in annual revenue for Wilmer, but Garcia said he hasn’t seen any benefit to the town’s infrastructure.
“All these tax dollars haven't been accounted for, we haven't built anything, we haven't done anything,” Garcia said.
After winning the election to city council earlier this month, he said he wants to push for special use permits to regulate industry before it comes to Wilmer.
“I know I'm not going to stop some of them that are already permitted but if we can just limit them and then put them under so much restriction that they say ‘hey, let's just go to the next town,’” Garcia said.
Garcia will be sworn into the Wilmer city council on May 12.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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