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Westlake officials announced that a data center will be constructed within town limits in a social media post July 29.
What's happening?
The proposed data center will be located south of the town’s existing pump station at 13590 Denton Highway, also known as US 377.
The location will be near the Marshall Ridge, Marshall Ridge Point and Center Stage housing and mixed-use developments, which are located in Keller, according to previous reporting.
Westlake officials said the data center will be 1,200 yards away from the nearest Westlake home. However, the development will back up to Llano Court in Keller.
Keller Mayor Ross McMullin issued public comments about the project around 6 p.m. on June 29. He wrote that he and the other city council members were "unfortunately surprised" by the news.
“Our residents expect thoughtful planning, transparency, and a commitment to protecting what makes Westlake such a special place to call home,” Mayor Kim Greaves said in a news release. “This project has been carefully evaluated to ensure it meets our high standards while providing meaningful long-term benefits for our community. The data center will expand our tax base, strengthen funding for public infrastructure and Westlake Academy and help reduce the tax burden on our residents, all while having minimal impact on daily life.”
The details
According to the town’s news release, the planned campus is expected to use 54 million gallons of water per year, which is the equivalent of the usage of one of Westlake’s existing corporate campuses. The data center system will operate without any water for roughly 85% of the year, according to the town's website on the project.
The data center, whose operator was not disclosed, paid Oncor to bring infrastructure to the west side of Westlake, adding a 350-megawatt substation near the pump station, at no cost to residents.
The news release states the added power will be used by the pump station and future expansion of the Westlake systems. All homes in Westlake are Tri-County Electric customers.
Dig deeper
The town of Westlake will see an increase in commercial tax revenue from the data center. According to numbers posted online, the town will receive $5 million for 10 years and then $7 million every year after. That would increase the town’s annual revenue by 14% and would reduce the reliance on residential property taxes, according to the website.
The tenant will also provide monetary donations to the Westlake Fire-EMS Department and Westlake Academy, the town-run charter school.
A town spokesperson said there is no timeline for when construction of the data center will begin.
By the numbers
The town provided answers to questions that could arise with the data center and created a page on its website. Westlake officials listed the following facts on how this data center will operate:
Editor's note: The story has been updated with additional information.
