Neighbors in Fort Worth Speaking Out Against Massive Data Centers Next Door

Our Take

Credit to Neighbors Working Together - FWC for getting this on camera and getting it in front of WFAA: a fight that plays out the same way in dozens of towns, just with different street names. A developer wants land rezoned for a data center, neighbors find out later than they'd like, and suddenly a subdivision is staring down substation-scale power draw, cooling infrastructure, noise, and truck traffic next door. In Fort Worth's case, the zoning commission itself recommended denying ZC-24-031 — that's not a fringe objection, that's the city's own review process saying this doesn't fit.

What's notable here is the timeline: a city council vote landing Tuesday, September 17, with organized residents like Sandra Baldwin making sure council members can't claim they didn't hear from the people who'll live next to the hum, the lights, and the water and power demands this facility would bring. That's the leverage point in almost every one of these fights — not stopping the data-center boom nationally, but making sure the local vote actually reflects what the neighborhood signed up for when they bought their homes, versus what a rezoning quietly changes years later.

This is exactly the kind of case we track: a specific parcel, a specific commission vote, a specific council date, and residents doing the work of showing up. If you want to see what's proposed or under construction near you, check the map, and if you're facing a similar rezoning fight, our take-action page has steps for turning a commission recommendation into real pressure on a council vote.