A majority of Fort Worth City Council members expressed support for a temporary moratorium on data center developments Thursday.
Elizabeth Beck, Carlos Flores, Mia Hall, Jeanette Martinez and Chris Nettles said in a news release Thursday afternoon they plan to propose the halt at the council’s next meeting after their return from summer break in August. Council member Michael Crain confirmed his support to the Fort Worth Report after the release was distributed.
Crain told the Report that he — along with Mayor Mattie Parker and council members Chris Jamieson, Macy Hill and Charlie Lauersdorf — was not asked to sign the call for a moratorium.
The announcement comes the day after Fort Worth’s zoning commission voted 7-4 to deny a proposed ordinance that would have regulated where supercomputer hubs may be built in the city. The proposal was first presented in June and expected to be taken up by the council for a final vote in August.
Beck emphasized that “moratoriums are temporary, and regulations are permanent.” State law prohibits cities from enacting moratoriums of more than 90 days, she explained, plus one 90-day extension.
The group of council members said they needed additional time for research and stakeholder engagement to ensure Fort Worth adopts data center regulations that “thoughtfully balance economic opportunity with the protection of our residents, neighborhoods, natural resources, and critical infrastructure.”
“By taking the time to get this right, we will protect our residents, preserve the character of our neighborhoods, and provide the certainty needed for responsible growth,” the five council members said in the release. “That is the leadership our residents deserve, and it is the commitment we share.”
In a statement to the Report, Crain said he agrees that the city needs more time to review proposed rules and regulations.
“For months, I’ve been leading the effort to put strong, common-sense rules on data centers so they protect our neighborhoods and resident quality of life, while still allowing Fort Worth to benefit from the significant revenue they generate in property taxes,” Crain said.
Crain said if a “short” moratorium allows the city the time it needs, he is open to exploring that option.
However, Crain expressed concern that if the city does not act, “we could lose our ability to set our own rules and invite the state to step in and further limit local control, as it has done in other areas.”
The call for the moratorium comes as council members have fielded requests in the past year from developers to rezone land to industrial use for proposed data center projects.
Council members have also been urged by residents to halt data center developments and consider their impacts on water, electricity and quality of life.
An attorney by trade, Beck acknowledged the possibility of Fort Worth facing litigation in response to a moratorium but said that’s ultimately a risk she’s willing to take.
“At some point, you have to stick your neck out for your residents,” Beck said in a phone interview. “Our residents have made it really clear that they want protections around data centers.”
In a social media post Thursday afternoon, council member Deborah Peoples expressed support for her colleagues’ proposal, writing, “This is absolutely the RIGHT thing to do!”
Before making a vote Wednesday, zoning commissioners cited concerns over the need for more detail and time to review the rules.
At that meeting, residents showed up with signs and comments demanding a moratorium.
Ambika Sharma was among those at Wednesday’s meeting speaking in opposition to the proposed zoning regulations. She urged commissioners to pause data center developments and be “more thoughtful” in which businesses Fort Worth attracts.
Residents have banded together to vocalize their opposition through community-led advocacy groups including the recently formed DFW Communities Over Data Centers and 2871 Community Coalition.
Proposed projects include the $10 billion data center headed by energy conglomerate Black Mountain. The company so far has obtained and rezoned 450 acres of land in southeast Fort Worth from agriculture to industrial.
Edged Data Centers has a facility slated for the southwest Fort Worth area, having already rezoned 186 acres of land in Veale Ranch.
Both companies hit a wall earlier this year in their efforts. Council members said they needed more information about Black Mountain’s site plan and tabled a vote that would have agreed to a 50% tax break with Edged Data Centers.
Black Mountain requested to push items requesting to rezone more land to December.
Editor’s note: This story was updated 5:46 p.m. July 9 to include which council members were invited to sign the call for a moratorium.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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