The Westlake City Council voted unanimously on Thursday, November 12, to allow construction of a 1.1 million-square-foot data center near the city's border with Keller.

Unanimous Vote Follows Settlement

The council meeting, at which members approved the project without dissent, followed later, November 5, an agreement in which Keller and Westlake announced they had ended their court battle over the development.

The legal fight formally closed earlier that month when the two North Texas cities reached the agreement, but the path had already been opening before that.

Keller had filed for a temporary injunction seeking to halt any further development of the project, but that injunction expired in late September, leaving Westlake free to continue moving the project forward.

Keller Secures Noise Limits and Monitoring

Under the terms of the settlement, according to Keller, the city gains the ability to enforce noise limits at the site and will receive quarterly noise monitoring during the first three years of the data center's operations.

Noise had been among the primary concerns voiced by Keller residents, alongside worries about potential environmental damage from the facility.

The agreement also contains landscaping requirements and emissions controls. In addition, it calls for a contribution to Keller Fire-Rescue, providing support to the city's emergency services.

Border-Area Residents Had Objected to the Site

The location of the proposed complex, near the boundary between Westlake and Keller, was the focal point of the dispute. Keller residents living along that border raised objections to the development, saying it would sit just steps from their homes and specifically near Keller's Marshall Ridge neighborhood.

Some of those concerns carried into the November 12 council meeting itself, where speakers accused Westlake's leaders of failing to be transparent enough during the process leading up to the approval.

Keller residents had previously said they were not given proper notice about the development planned next to their neighborhood.

Westlake leaders defended the project as part of the cost of growth.

"Yes, residents may bear slightly higher electricity costs, but we're going to keep costs in other ways because of the additional revenue," a city leader said, acknowledging the possibility of increased electricity costs while pointing to offsetting revenue benefits for the city.

Statewide Politics Shadow the Local Dispute

The fight between the two cities unfolded amid a broader political debate in which data centers became a hot topic during the midterm elections. Gov. Greg Abbott shifted course after initially welcoming data centers to Texas, pushing to slow development by requiring resource audits before new permits are issued.

On the other side of the political spectrum, Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic challenger who unseated Abbott, has called for an immediate moratorium on data centers until the Texas Legislature can meet.

Scrutiny of the facilities' impact on resources and nearby communities has extended well beyond the Westlake-Keller border, with other Texas municipalities weighing their own stances.

In Fort Worth, leaders have considered a moratorium on data center projects.

Construction Can Now Proceed

With the council's approval and the intercity agreement in place, construction on the 1.1 million-square-foot facility can move ahead.

The quarterly noise monitoring provisions will take effect during the first three years of the data center's operations, while the landscaping requirements, emissions controls, and contribution to Keller Fire Rescue will be implemented under the terms of the November 5 agreement.

Keller, for its part, says it will work with Hinojosa on statewide discussions surrounding data center regulation, indicating the city intends to remain engaged on the policy questions raised by the project even though the local dispute has been resolved.