Minority Report: Taylor data center plan raises community ire and questions of equity
In the summer of 2024, the Taylor City Council quietly inked a deal to approve a new data center.
That decision put Taylor on a growing list of Texas communities hosting data centers. Currently, there are at least 300 data centers in the state. About 142 more are under construction, the Texas Tribune reported. There are plans for some 100 more.
This data center explosion has raised questions about the true cost of incentive programs, and also the thorny issue of just where the centers should be located, with low income and minority communities often asked to bear the brunt of the new construction.
The deal between Taylor and BBP Projects LLC outlined a 10 year, 50% property and sales tax abatement for a $1 billion project titled Blueprint. BBP agreed to buy 53-acres of industrially-zoned land for $10 million. The city retained 15 acres between the site and a residential area as a buffer.
“My community did not know about data centers,” said Pamela Griffin, whose property backs up to the proposed Taylor center. “We were shocked that they would want to put that 500 feet behind houses that are low income.”
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