Taylor council approves annexation and zoning for Project Kamal after hours of public comment

Taylor — The Taylor City Council voted March 26 to approve a voluntary annexation of roughly 48.089 acres and to change zoning for a 220‑acre site known as Project Kamal to an employment center, an action developers say will enable a hyperscale data‑center campus and opponents say requires stricter, enforceable protections.

City staff and developer KDC described the proposed Project Kamal campus as a single‑tenant, class‑A data‑center campus organized around six large buildings and ancillary electrical distribution. Bill Guthrie, senior vice president of land development at KDC, said the company has been working on the site for more than two years and voluntarily annexed 150 of the 220 acres earlier to give the city local control and the opportunity to secure public benefits.

KDC’s David Fisk said the plan incorporates a suite of ordinance requirements negotiated with staff and consultants, including a closed‑loop cooling system, limits on potable water use, stormwater detention and a 300‑foot buffer between buildings and adjacent lot lines. Fisk said the site will be restricted to nighttime sound levels of 70 dBA at the property line and that the project will use Tier‑4 generators to reduce emissions. “These are requirements, in the form of an ordinance,” Fisk said, adding that the developer agreed to enhanced landscaping and civic space donations.

Supporters from the business community highlighted the fiscal impacts. Ben White, president and CEO of the Taylor EDC, described a conservative estimate of a $2.5 billion project that could generate about $145 million in new tax revenue for the city over the next decade and an estimated $70 million for the school district, framing those revenues as funding for community priorities such as recreation centers.

But the hearing included lengthy public comment stressing unanswered questions about water, power and health risks. Sarah Winters told the council the employment‑center designation “was never designed for data centers” and urged a pause until the city adopts a digital‑infrastructure zoning category with legally binding conditions. Carrie Deanna, a District 1 resident, said residents have received inconsistent notice and asked for stronger monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.

Technical clarifications came from HDR engineer Chris Brown, who told the council that 70 dBA is roughly equivalent to heavy traffic or a vacuum cleaner at the property line and that sound attenuates with distance. Staff explained the ordinance allows an initial potable water fill of up to 5,000,000 gallons for the first building, after which any additional potable supply requires city manager approval; councilmembers debated whether such approvals should require full council action.

Council members emphasized that this zoning action is an early step in a multi‑phase process—staff called it “step 2 of 6”—that will return to planning and permitting with detailed development plans and monitoring requirements. After discussion the council approved the annexation ordinance and the Project Kamal employment‑center plan in separate votes. The zoning approval was made by motion and carried on a council voice vote.

Next steps: the developer will return with plan details and permitting documents; staff said inspections and compliance monitoring will be part of later permits. The council and staff also signaled an intention to continue refining citywide code and comp‑plan language to provide clearer rules for data centers and related infrastructure.