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San Marcos residents urge council to deny data centers over water, noise and zoning concerns
Summary
Dozens of San Marcos residents told the City Council during the citizen-comment period that proposed data centers near Francis Harris Lane and elsewhere threaten groundwater, cause noise and should not be rezoned into city limits.
Dozens of residents urged the San Marcos City Council on July 1 to block data centers proposed near Francis Harris Lane and elsewhere, citing worries about water use, noise, traffic and insufficient local regulatory control.
Residents said multiple proposals — including the Mayberry and Highlander projects and others around Francis Harris Lane — would strain water supplies and local utilities, change long-standing land uses and reduce neighborhood quality of life. “We are fighting to stand by morals and values that we believe in,” said Tori Martin, a resident who described recent water service disruptions in her neighborhood. Abby Wetzel, another resident, said developers’ claims about closed-loop cooling underestimate the water needed for power and cooling systems and raised concerns that restrictive covenants last only 20 years.
The speakers asked council to exercise its authority to deny or limit zoning and annexation that would allow data centers inside city limits. Multiple speakers said Planning and Zoning had recommended against certain proposals and asked council not to remand those items back to P&Z. “P&Z voted 8 to 1 for a reason,” Abigail Lindsey said, urging council to uphold that recommendation.
Supporters of development also spoke. Jim Keith and other commenters argued that new development and jobs will expand the tax base and that properly managed water-treatment upgrades and municipal planning can support growth. Mike Camlender, president of the Hays–Caldwell Economic Development Partnership, urged approval of a separate downtown hotel incentive, saying lodging would support local businesses and tourism.
Where it appeared in the agenda: most remarks occurred during the citizen comment period at the start of the regular meeting and focused on several agenda items later in the packet involving zoning and developer proposals. City staff and council members acknowledged the concerns in later agenda items and said water use, utility capacity and zoning consistency would be considered during formal rezoning and annexation deliberations.
Council did not take a separate vote specifically on any data-center application at this meeting; several related items — including rezoning requests for other properties — were considered later in the agenda. The public speakers who addressed data centers urged the council to use its authority to protect water resources and neighborhood character if the city has jurisdiction over a proposed project.
Residents asked the council to (1) deny rezoning or annexation that would allow the projects inside city limits, (2) require higher enforcement mechanisms than short-term restrictive covenants, and (3) make Carson Development Committee and other deliberations more transparent to the public. City staff acknowledged those questions and said city procedures for zoning, annexation and utility review would apply when the council takes formal action on specific applications.
A number of speakers also requested stronger, enforceable wage and operational commitments from hotel and hospitality projects discussed later in the meeting, and several council members said the points raised would be considered as related agenda items advanced to a vote or second reading.
