Taylor residents urge halt to BPP data center; council holds attorney consultation, takes no action

Dozens of residents and community members told the Taylor City Council at its July 10 meeting that they oppose a proposed data center planned by BPP Projects LLC, saying the project was not adequately vetted, would harm a historically underserved neighborhood and would deliver few local jobs.

Speakers described the planned site as inside the city loop and close to generational family homes on First and Second avenues in the Royal neighborhood. Many called for a full environmental and noise study and for earlier, broader community engagement.

"There has got to be a very...we have got to shine a very bright light on this situation and not let this happen where people are having to be impacted in their personal lives and their personal property," resident Lisa Drummond said during the public-comment period.

Community organizer Nikivia Miller, who said she grew up in the area, framed the dispute as part of a longer history of planning decisions that placed industry on one side of town. "Why would you not rezone it for something the people actually want and need? Affordable housing," she said.

Several residents described the loss of a community center and other neighborhood institutions as part of a pattern of disinvestment. Jose Orda told the council that the project site was designated as an employment zone but that the BPP project, once built, would deliver "only 5 jobs," a figure residents said was not sufficient to offset potential harms.

Quentin Parker, a U.S. Army veteran who lives on Second Avenue, said the plant would be “literally in my backyard” and warned the facility could worsen symptoms of his post-traumatic stress disorder.

Council procedure note: before the council recessed into closed session, Mayor Dwayne Arriola said public comments were limited to three minutes and the council would not respond to items not on the posted agenda. After public comment, the council adjourned to executive session for a consultation with the city attorney under the Texas Open Meetings Act, Section 551.071, on "BPP Projects LLC, zoning and land use." The council reconvened in open session at approximately 9:16 p.m. and announced no action would be taken on the item that evening.

No formal vote on the BPP project or on rezoning was recorded in the meeting minutes; the publicly posted agenda referenced the consultation only. The council did not adopt or deny any ordinance or resolution during open session related to the data center.

Looking forward, several speakers asked the council to slow the process and increase transparency, and multiple residents asked the council to consider alternate uses — including housing and community amenities — for the designated employment zone.