Residents near the proposed Circle T Data Center in Westlake have hired an attorney and launched a fundraising campaign to mount a legal challenge, days after the town's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the project's site plan.

The Westlake Town Council is scheduled to vote on the development agreement Tuesday, Aug. 18. No construction can begin until that agreement passes.

Barbara Brewer, a Keller ISD school board candidate, organized a GoFundMe campaign titled "Support Lakes of Marshall Ridge in Their Legal Fight" under the name Keller ISD Community United. The campaign says families in the Marshall Ridge and Lakes of Marshall Ridge subdivisions want a fair opportunity to protect their homes, neighborhood and quality of life.

Brewer told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that residents are moving quickly to mobilize before ground is broken. She said residents have already spotted surveyors on the land.

Former Keller Mayor Mark Mathews, whose home sits near the proposed site, told the Star-Telegram after the Aug. 4 P&Z vote that he was not surprised by the approval and that the next step is exploring legal options.

What was approved

The P&Z Commission voted 5-0 on Tuesday, Aug. 4 to approve the site plan for the four-building, 1.1-million-square-foot complex at 13580 Denton Highway. More than 100 people attended the meeting, which included nearly two hours of public comment before the commission spent more than two hours in closed session.

The project, developed by Virginia-based Powerhouse (American Real Estate Partners), would sit on 87.9 acres of land associated with Hillwood, the Perot family's development arm, within the Circle T Ranch portion of AllianceTexas.

The closest Keller home on Llano Court is roughly 506 feet from the proposed building line. Ridgeview Elementary School in Keller is less than half a mile away. The nearest Westlake residence is more than 1,200 feet from the site.

What residents said at the hearing

"We're not asking you to kill this project, we are asking you to move it," Marshall Ridge resident Ben Buckwalter told the commission Aug. 4. "Hillwood is owned by billionaires, they have plenty of land. So work with Hillwood, please move it, build it, just don't build it next to our homes, don't build it next to our elementary school."

Stephanie Rodriguez, another resident, said she was unwilling to volunteer her children as "guinea pigs" for unknown health impacts. Sarah Hudson, a nun at Wat Buddharatanaram Buddhist monastery in Keller, raised concerns about the facility's effect on the monastery's peaceful environment.

Developer and town response

Powerhouse director of development Zaid Arzate told the commission the project already meets the requirements of Gov. Greg Abbott's Monday, Aug. 3 directive ordering audits of data center power, water and community impacts.

The facility would use 300 megawatts of power and 54 million gallons of water per year.

Approval conditions include 8-foot sound barrier walls along the southern property line, acoustic screening around HVAC units, a 220-foot landscape buffer on the south side abutting Keller and 4,000 native trees and bushes along the perimeter.

Westlake Deputy Town Manager Jason Alexander told Community Impact on Aug. 5 that as long as the developer complies with provisions, the plan should be approved at the Aug. 18 council vote.

Keller Mayor Ross McMullin said in an Aug. 5 statement to Community Impact that the city "remains in close communication and in full support" of Marshall Ridge residents and will "fully review the processes and procedures related to Westlake's project."

What's next

The Westlake Town Council's Tuesday, Aug. 18 vote on the development agreement is the final municipal approval needed before construction can begin. Residents can attend and speak at the meeting.