Five members of the Fort Worth City Council have formally requested a temporary moratorium on the development of new data centers. The move follows a 7-4 vote by the Fort Worth Zoning Commission on July 8 to recommend denying proposed city-wide regulations for such facilities.
Mayor Pro Tem Carlos Flores and Council members Elizabeth Beck, Mia Hall, Jeannette Martinez, and Chris Nettles signed a joint letter calling for the pause. The council is expected to deliberate on the moratorium during its meeting on August 11. The proponents argue that additional time is necessary to study the long-term impact of data centers on local infrastructure, water resources, and residential neighborhoods.
City officials had previously developed a set of proposed standards governing noise, lighting, and water usage, which were intended to balance the industry’s economic potential with community concerns. Data centers have contributed over $83 million in property tax revenue to Fort Worth over the past five years. However, critics and some commissioners expressed concerns that the proposed rules were rushed and lacked sufficient depth regarding industrial zoning compatibility.
The debate in Texas reflects broader national discussions, with officials looking to reports from states like Virginia, where rapid data center expansion has highlighted challenges regarding high electricity demand and low-frequency noise. Fort Worth currently hosts four operational data centers, with at least four additional projects currently in the planning or construction phases.