Fort Worth Weighs Temporary Pause on Data Center Projects

Fort Worth’s Data Center & Infrastructure Commission gave city leaders 19 recommendations on November 10, following a review of electricity, water, land use, neighborhood effects and economic impacts. The City Council appointed the commission in August to examine how the city should manage the industry’s growth.

Among the proposals are requiring data centers to use closed-loop cooling that recirculates water, increasing the required distance from homes from 50 feet to 350 feet, and enforcing noise rules. Commission chair Michael Slattery said the recommendations could give developers clearer expectations, while acknowledging they would not satisfy everyone.

Some residents told the council the proposed measures were insufficient. Julie Waters said two months would not be enough to examine all the issues and urged council members to heed residents’ repeated requests for a moratorium.

The recommendations could lead to a 90-day pause on development, allowing the city to consider changes to zoning and development codes. No decision was made at the meeting. A public hearing is planned for January 12, 2027, and the earliest a moratorium could take effect is February. Existing sites and projects already in the application process would be exempt if a pause is approved.

The debate follows a July vote by the city’s zoning commission against new restrictions, citing a need for more information. Five council members subsequently called for a pause, prompting the commission’s formation. Fort Worth has four operating data centers and at least four more in development.

Fort Worth Must Put Neighborhoods First in Data Center Debate

Fort Worth residents are asking city leaders to take the effects of data center growth seriously before approving more projects. On November 10, a city-appointed commission delivered 19 recommendations after examining electricity, water use, land use, neighborhood effects and economic impacts. Its proposals include recirculating cooling water, moving facilities farther from homes and enforcing noise rules.

The suggested setback would grow from 50 feet to 350 feet, while closed-loop cooling would reduce the need to draw in fresh water. Those measures offer a starting point, but residents told the council they do not go far enough. Julie Waters argued that two months would not allow enough time to weigh the issues and called on officials to respond to residents seeking a moratorium.

A 90-day pause could give Fort Worth time to assess zoning and development rules before allowing further development. Yet the city took no action on November 10, and a hearing is not scheduled until January 12, 2027. The earliest a moratorium could begin is February; projects already underway in the application process would be exempt.

The commission was formed after five council members called for a pause. The city has four operating data centers and at least four more in development, making the choices about water, power and nearby neighborhoods increasingly consequential. Clearer expectations for developers matter, but residents’ concerns should not be brushed aside in the name of certainty.

Fort Worth Should Set Clear Data Center Rules, Not Rush a Freeze

Fort Worth has a chance to replace uncertainty around data center development with clear, workable rules. On November 10, a city-appointed commission delivered 19 recommendations covering electricity, water, land use, neighborhood effects and economic impacts. Its proposals include closed-loop cooling, a larger distance from homes and enforcement of noise regulations.

Commission chair Michael Slattery said the recommendations could give developers clearer expectations, while recognizing that no approach will please everyone. That kind of predictability matters as the city considers how to manage an industry that already has four operating facilities and at least four more in development.

A proposed 90-day moratorium would give officials time to review the recommendations and consider changes to zoning and development codes. But the city took no action on November 10. A public hearing is planned for January 12, 2027, and February is the earliest a pause could begin. Projects already moving through the application process would be exempt if a moratorium is adopted.

Residents say the recommendations are not enough, and their concerns deserve consideration. But the earlier zoning commission vote against new restrictions reflected a need for more information about a rapidly changing industry. The commission’s work now gives the city a basis for deliberation; the priority should be rules that address local impacts while providing developers with a dependable process, rather than treating a temporary freeze as the answer.