Council approves owner-requested annexation of 162.6 acres in Innovation Corridor; zoning would allow data centers

The City Council approved an owner-requested annexation of 162.6 acres on the city’s west side that city staff said is located in the Innovation Corridor and could be developed under a planned development mixed-use (PDM) district and an Innovation Corridor retail-services district that would allow data centers. The annexation matters because the zoning would add a defined “data center” land use to local regulations and bring 162.6 acres under city jurisdiction, setting the regulatory framework for future development and requiring site-specific studies before construction. Planning staff told the council the property lies generally south of the intersection of West OSR and Fizzino Lane, adjacent to the city limits and near the RELLIS campus and Ellis Campus. The proposed zoning would place about 37 of the 162.6 acres adjacent to West State Highway 21 in an Innovation Corridor retail-services district, with the remainder in a…