A petition against unrestricted data center growth was turned in to City Clerk Lucy Aldrich at 6:26 p.m. during the citizens’ comment portion of Thursday’s City Council meeting. Grassroots group Halt Taylor Data Center Coalition collected more than 1,400 signatures from residents concerned about the lack of city regulations governing the industry.
The completion of the signature drive was celebrated with a free community dinner at Heritage Park pavilion directly before the City Council meeting.
“My heart is so happy. This shows Taylor people are coming together, working as a whole community, not half a community. It’s not just the south side or the north side,” said Pamela Griffin, one of the founders of the coalition. “This will help us continue the fight (against Blueprint Projects Data Center) because it shows them we’re sticking together. Together means a whole lot.”
Taylor currently has two data centers being planned near residential neighborhoods: KDC Project Comal on CR 401 near FM 973 and Blueprint Projects Data Center on Carlos G Parker Blvd. near Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
More on this story can be seen in this weekend's edition of the Taylor Press.
