At the Jan. 6, 2025 Planning and Zoning work session, staff presented a companion comprehensive-plan amendment (2024-389-CP) and zoning/site-plan case (2024-391-CC) for property at 4401 North State Highway 161. Staff recommended approval of both the comprehensive-plan amendment (from regional commercial to manufacturing/warehouse on the future land-use map) and the rezoning/site plan (to permit light manufacturing ML 20A and to allow warehouse/distribution and data center uses as principal uses).

Staff noted the site sits near land owned by the DFW Airport and is adjacent to a Calvary Church to the north-northeast; a storage facility lies to the south. Staff said they discussed electrical capacity with the local utility (Encore), which identified transmission lines north and west of the site and two substations within about a half mile. Encore told staff that one substation could not be expanded due to configuration, but transmission lines on the north side are sized appropriately for data centers; staff said a detailed planning study would be required to determine whether on-site substation work or reconductoring would be necessary.

Staff also said any data center would still have to meet the recently adopted data-center ordinance standards. A commissioner asked whether approval via the site plan would exempt the applicant from conditional-use permitting under an ordinance that is under review; staff replied, "Short answer is no, they would not because you'd be approving it by a site plan that specifically allows for data center use. The standards would apply." (staff answer paraphrased from the presentation.)

Why it matters: approving the proposal would formally allow industrial and data-center type uses on a site near major electric infrastructure and DFW Airport land, which has implications for traffic, utilities, and nearby institutional neighbors.

Public comment on the file was limited, staff said: one comment in support and none in opposition were on record for the most recent notification set. Staff emphasized that the applicant is not yet committed to building a data center and described the request as allowing multiple possible uses (warehouse/distribution, light manufacturing, or data center), with a data center being an option if the utility and site studies supported it.

No final vote or council action was recorded at the work session. Staff will carry the recommendations forward through the regular public hearing and council-review process.