Wichita Falls City Council rejects Airport Drive data center rezoning

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - Wichita Falls city councilors have unanimously voted against rezoning an area on Airport Drive that was proposed for a possible data center.

Since being tabled in February, the city received a revised offer from representatives of the land aimed at addressing community concerns. The proposal included potential ordinances focused on light and sound pollution, as well as traffic mitigation efforts.

While councilors agreed that those types of ordinances could be useful for future projects, they ultimately did not support placing a large-scale data center near existing homes at this time.

“It makes it a much harder project to get behind. Whether it’s the noise, the lights, or the multi-year construction, they’re all things to be aware of. And that’s a lot of traffic, that’s a lot of noise, and it’s 24-7,” Mayor Tim Short said.

That concern was echoed by residents, including Cathy Dodson, who opposed the project’s proximity to neighborhoods.

“They’re talking about putting this thing within walking distance of residential neighborhoods. That makes no sense at all. And when you ask them something, oh, we’re going to do a study. We’re going to do this. They don’t have any answers. They don’t have any answers whatsoever. All they’re thinking about is money,” Cathy Dodson said.

Councilors also noted that uncertainty around the project’s developer contributed to their decision.

“We worked with many data centers so far to find the right fit here. And working directly with the developer helps a lot. And to provide that level of comfort with who’s coming in. And not knowing who it’s going to be, I think created probably a level of discomfort that led to the vote that you saw here today.” Mayor Short said.

In addition to council concerns, multiple residents spoke against the project during public comment, citing potential impacts on water usage, rising electricity demand, and environmental effects issues that have surfaced in other proposed data center developments across North Texas.

While this particular project may be stalled indefinitely, similar data center developments remain under consideration across the Texoma region.