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Developers pitch 220‑acre data‑center campus as residents urge pause at Taylor City Council hearing
Summary
KDC presented plans for a roughly 220‑acre data‑center campus called Project Kamal and asked the council to approve a voluntary annexation and employment‑center plan in a first reading. Dozens of residents urged the council to pause or deny the rezoning over concerns about water use, diesel generators, noise, stormwater and long‑term grid impacts.
KDC representatives told Taylor City Council on Jan. 8 that Project Kamal would bring a single, large data‑center tenant to roughly 220 acres and that the developer voluntarily annexed most of the land last year as part of a package of public benefits, including 14 acres and two miles of road dedications and a $75,000 parks donation.
"We're committing to that and we're not seeking the use of the city of Taylor's potable water supply to cool the data center," David Fisk of KDC said during the applicant presentation, describing a closed‑loop cooling design the company says will avoid relying on city drinking water.
Why it matters: Residents and community advocates said the city's employment‑center zoning is being used to approve facilities that function as data centers, a use they say warrants stricter local controls. Public concern focused on potential air emissions from backup generators, long‑term electricity demand and local water and drainage impacts.
During an extended public comment period, Amber Ray Martinez, who identified herself as visiting from Austin and active on data‑center issues, urged council to deny the rezoning. "I urge this council to disapprove the zoning for the data center that is currently proposed in the city council agenda," Martinez said. Other residents raised similar objections, citing health, noise and property‑value concerns.
KDC said the project is designed to minimize local impacts. Bill Guthrie, KDC senior vice president, described buffers, landscape screening and interior placement of critical mechanical equipment to reduce noise and visual effects. David Fisk said the company had engineered on‑site stormwater detention to maintain or reduce present runoff and was designing buffers along adjacent neighborhoods.
Council members pressed KDC on precise technical details. When asked about backup power, KDC said the site would include diesel backup units and indicated "about 30" generators per building in the project design; developers said the equipment would be located interior to the site and designed to meet applicable environmental and noise rules. Council members also asked whether a closed‑loop cooling system might change later; KDC said they would not plan a system that required potable city water and that major changes would be unlikely for economic reasons.
No final vote: City attorneys introduced Ordinance 2026‑03 (annexation) and Ordinance 2026‑04 (employment center plan) as first readings; no adoption vote was taken. Staff and KDC emphasized the items are at the preliminary employment‑center plan stage and that council can request additional information before any final action.
Next steps: Because the council only approved first readings tonight, both ordinances will return for further consideration. Council members asked staff and the applicant to provide additional technical clarifications on water, emergency power, transmission easements and long‑term reuse of the site before any second reading or final vote.
