Even as the City Council met with its attorney Thursday to discuss a proposed data center behind closed doors, residents remained up front and vocal with their concerns.
At issue is the BPP Projects LLC Blueprint Data Center, a $1 billion initiative that council members in an executive session continued to review without comment afterwards.
State law allows leaders to go behind closed doors to mull real estate and property issues; any vote must be taken in public.
Meanwhile, residents — some claiming they did not
“ We want to save our community. We want to save Taylor.”
— Pam Griffin receive enough advance notice about the project — came out in force to speak during the council meeting’s July 10 publiccomment session.
Courtesy photo
“This plant you guys are planning on building is literally in my backyard. I have (posttraumatic stress disorder) and with all the noise and everything, it’s very traumatizing,” said Quinton Parker, an Army veteran who lives with his wife and four children on Second Street. “We’re trying to just live a simple, happy life, but this data plant you guys are planning to put there is not a right thing to do.”
BPP Projects has been working with the Taylor Economic Development Corp. and the city since December 2023 to find a spot for its operation and negotiate incentive deals.
Last August, the council and the EDC approved a 50% rebate on property taxes for 10 years on each of the three phases of construction for the $1 billion project.
In addition, the company will get a 50% rebate on local salesand- use tax collected on construction material purchases.
The EDC owned a parcel of land at 1601 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. in the city’s lower-income District 1. They sold BPP Projects 53 acres in April, maintaining ownership of a 200-foot border between the data center property and adjoining residences.
Neighbors at an initial public hearing June 26 said they were not aware the data center would be located in their east side community.
However, various media including the Taylor Press, the Austin American-Statesman and the Austin Business Journal have all published stories during the last year about the deal.
The neighborhood that includes Royal Avenue and First and Second streets near U.S. 79 are close to the development, with homes on Second less than a football field’s distance from the proposed plant and accompanying electric substation.
“City Council has known about this for well over a year and has not identified that this was a concern to the city, was a concern to the neighborhood with industry inside the city loop,” Lisa Drummond told the council. “This is what people pass down to their children is their homes and their property and we can’t just let it be impacted like this for money because somebody neglected to look at this closely.”
Many of the complaints have centered on worries the plant will pose a public nuisance, with some residents concerned about the potential for loud noises, pollution and health hazards.
Several speakers told the council it was not only unfair to put such a development in the historic neighborhood, but also inappropriate to allow an industrial site within the 79 bypass that wraps around the city.
“Industry belongs outside of the loop,” said Carrie DeAnna. “We need child care. We need grocery stores. We need civic spaces. We need more opportunities on that side. Not a data center.”
She added, “If this data center goes in, Taylor will benefit millions of dollars over and over again on the disenfranchisement of the most under-resourced part of our town. And that will be our legacy.”
Neighbors have organized a community meeting 6:30 p.m. July 17 at the pavilion in Fannie Robinson Park, 1015 E. MLK Jr. Blvd.
“We want to save our community. We want to save Taylor,” said Pam Griffin. “You’ve got to be open to all the people. I want Taylor to grow. But you cannot grow if you’re going to do it on people’s backs. We have to do it the right way, not the wrong way.”
The 135,000-squarefoot data center is the latest addition to an emerging tech hub anchored by Samsung Austin Semiconductor, officials said.
On Aug. 8, the council gave the green light to the $225 million development with BPP Projects, voting unanimously to approve tax rebate agreements with the company.
“It’s a great project for the community because it provides a big tax value that doesn’t put a strain on water or sewer, and there’s no need to build new schools. It’s not about the employment number but about the capital investment,” Ben White, president and CEO of the EDC, said at the time.
Data centers are sought-after additions to many cities’ tax bases because the large buildings with expensive, high-tech equipment require only a small number of personnel and light truck traffic, which translates to minimal infrastructure development.
The location in Taylor is expected to create a minimum of five jobs.
“This could be an additional $21 million coming to the (Taylor Independent) School District over the next 10 years. And even after the rebates, net benefits to the city are just under $26 million,” White said in August.
