Planning commission recommends annexation of 162.6 acres for potential data-center development

The Bryan Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend annexation of 162.6 acres owned by Dodd Family Holdings LLC and to assign a combination of Planned Development Mixed Use (PDM) and Innovation Corridor Retail Services (ICRS) zoning. Katie Williams, senior planner, told commissioners that the PDM district would specifically permit data centers and would include design articulation, screening and soundproofing standards intended to mitigate impacts.

At the public hearing the applicant’s general counsel, Mac Martinez, said the project team plans to raise building elevations about three feet where needed, coordinate with the local utility for a substation outside the floodplain and "bring our own self generation" plus battery storage to avoid drawing from the grid during peak times. Martinez also described workforce-development plans that would include partnerships with Texas A&M and a proposed curriculum and classroom space; he said Google has expressed interest in partnering on training and hiring. Williams said floodplain and utility capacity will be addressed at the site-plan and utility-negotiation stages rather than through tonight’s zoning action.

Commissioners asked about whether the PDM articulation standards apply to Highway 21 frontage or only internal circulation; Williams said the PD standards apply from public rights-of-way. Commissioners also raised floodplain and utility-capacity concerns; staff reiterated that floodplain studies and utility agreements are required during site-plan review. A commissioner moved and the commission voted unanimously to recommend approval and to adopt the staff report as the commission’s findings.