Hood County conditionally approves Comanche Circle concept plan, orders drainage, water and power checks

Hood County commissioners on Jan. 13, 2026, voted to conditionally approve a concept plan for the proposed Comanche Circle data-center complex but imposed a list of specific information the developer must provide before the project may move to the site-plan stage.

The court’s action followed more than four hours of public comment and technical testimony in which residents, engineers and groundwater officials urged the county to deny or pause the proposal. The vote requires the applicant to deliver, within a fixed period, a comprehensive drainage plan, certification of treated wastewater standards and sludge disposal plans, documentation of total water needs and sources (including any on-site power-generation needs), and proof that the project will not harm the watershed, adjacent properties or downstream users.

The developer’s representative, Elijah Hughes, told the court the concept plan is the first step in a regulated process and that detailed engineering — including sealed drainage and site studies, TCEQ permitting for wastewater, and Upper Trinity…