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Resident urges council to oppose proposed Infokey data park over water and wildlife concerns
Summary
A member of the public told the council a proposed 520-acre Infokey data park at Lacy-Lakeview could consume large volumes of water and harm wildlife, urging the city to resist the project until community benefits and environmental impacts are clarified.
During the Hearing of Visitors on June 16, community member Rachel Holden addressed the council about a proposed 520-acre data park at Lacy-Lakeview that she identified as backed by Infokey. Holden said the company has not shown guaranteed community benefit, asserted Infokey reported no income to the Waco Chamber of Commerce, and warned the project would consume large quantities of water and damage wildlife.
Holden said the data park would consume roughly 16 million gallons of water per day — a figure she said is about four times the combined use of the city's five highest current water consumers — and contended that large AI data centers can cause noise and water-quality impacts. “Why should we be giving our water, which is already dwindling in supply, to a data park that isn't guaranteed to actually contribute to our community?” she asked.
Mayor Holmes and staff did not provide a substantive response in the public-comment segment recorded in the transcript. The statements were made as part of public comment; no formal application outcome or city action on the Infokey proposal is recorded in this meeting.
Next steps: The comment was entered into the public record. If an application or formal proposal is filed with the city, it would trigger the appropriate staff review, notice and public hearing processes required by code.
