This week, more recent fears of expanding large-scale data center projects met with much older zoning frustrations in Lubbock at a tense city council meeting, leading to threats of recalls for local city leaders.
The council met Tuesday to discuss changes to two small pieces of land on the north side of the city, rezoning around 50 acres from single-family residential to general industrial, and annexing almost 8 adjacent acres that tie the properties back to city limits, and city resources.
The council chamber at Citizen’s Tower was packed after rumors circulated on social media that the wider property, around 380 acres currently owned by the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, or LEDA, could be used to place a large-scale data center.
Terry Holeman from the land surveying firm Hugo Reed and Associates, working with LEDA, said the changes this week are part of an effort that started earlier this year to set up the whole plot with industrial zoning.
“It really is what I would call a cleanup or what I would call a finish out, so to speak, of the general industrial that we had already had in place,” Holeman said. “From strictly a zoning standpoint, we believe that this is really the only choice for us.”
Councilwoman Christy Martinez-Garcia, the representative for District 1, where the land is located, promptly asked the question on the minds of many in the room: will the property be used for a data center?
John Osborne, the CEO of LEDA, told the council that the reason the wider land was purchased in the first place was the rail line that runs through it with close access to the interstate, and that’s also why he said it wouldn’t be the best place for a large-scale data center.
“While I guess technically a data center could go on a property like this, it's not the highest and best use for that property,” he explained. “It's actually much better use for a rail-served industrial client or possibly a rail-served distribution type client.”
This response was not satisfactory for many citizens in the room, including the Whitworth family, who live across the road from this development. Kyla Whitworth said they’ve been opposing the industrial expansion near their home since discussion first reached the public eye earlier this year. Whitworth asked the council to pause development on the land until a deal can be reached, but added that they have not heard back from LEDA since February.
“LEDA has no problem with us living across the street from an industrial facility until their time is right. It means the last of my children's school days will be spent with an unrelenting pollution of lights, noise, and construction,” Whitworth said, her voice wavering.
For many who live in North and East Lubbock, this frustration is something they have dealt with for many years. Old zoning tactics and the routing of water and power access dating back to segregation and redlining have led to many of Lubbock’s industrial projects being placed in Districts 1 and 2, where predominantly Black and Hispanic residents have grown up living next to factories and concrete batch plants. Citizens have argued that living near these facilities has had negative impacts on health and quality of life for the people in these neighborhoods.
Natalie Miller is the executive director of the North and East Lubbock coalition, but she spoke to the city council on Tuesday as a resident of District 2.
“We all love our city. You guys got in those positions, saying that you want to do what's best for the city of Lubbock. Your citizens are saying, ‘Hey, we don't want this here,’” she said.
Over the last several years, similar issues have led to complaints from Texas Housers, NAACP, LegalAid of Northwest Texas, and the North and East Lubbock Coalition, arguing that the decisions creating this situation are a violation of the Civil Rights Act. Without any real changes from the city to address these issues, citizens continue to feel ignored.
“We're asking you and we're pleading with you to do what you've been elected to do, and that's to represent your citizens,” Miller said.
Miller noted that developers like LEDA are “doing what LEDA is designed to do.” LEDA is a type-A economic development corporation with development focused on industry. Through its board, appointed by the city council, CEO John Osborne said LEDA takes the complaints into consideration with development decisions.
“I've heard a lot of the challenges that the residents on the east side of Lubbock have with industry being nearby, and we've tried very hard to make sure that any industry that's coming over here is either very clean or is in an area that would be pretty normal for industry to be in,” Osborn said.
This corner of town was the site of a proposed 936-acre large-scale data center back in January, but members of the North and East Lubbock Coalition spoke out to the Planning and Zoning Commission, which voted against the project before the developer eventually withdrew.
The fears of large-scale data center development near surrounding communities like Abernathy led to significant opposition at the city’s special meeting earlier this month and prompted a petition to impose an 18-month pause on the facilities in Lubbock.
Organizers for the petition announced this week that they have sufficient signatures to put the moratorium before the city council, but now, they’re worried that developers are rushing to get projects in place before the moratorium can be enacted.
The pressure from these two issues converged in Tuesday’s city council meeting, where citizens cursed and threatened to recall councilmembers who voted in favor of the changes on the agenda.
Adam Hernandez is a former city council candidate and leader for the group Lubbock Compact, which has been outspoken against industrial development in North and East Lubbock. He asked the council to pause the latest industrial development, and re-examine how groups like LEDA are structured.
“My opposition to why this zone change does not need to be approved is really because of the environment that we've created as a city that we're operating under, that Mr. Holeman and Mr. Osborne are operating under, that planning and zoning is operating under, that our planning department is operating under, that continues to lead to this same issue. It doesn't matter if it's a data center,” Hernandez sai. “Doesn't matter if it's a concrete batch plant. Doesn't matter what it is, it's an industrial use.”
Community activist Phyllis Gant has been vocal on data center concerns in Lubbock and the history of zoning issues in District 2.
“You can vote with us today, the people that voted and put you in place, or you can watch us do a recall,” Gant told the council. Her statement was met with applause from members of the audience.
The city council voted 4 to 2 in favor of the zone change, with representatives Christy Martinez-Garcia from District 1 and Gordon Harris from District 2 opposed. The annexation was approved 5 to 1, with Harris the only vote against it.
While the council has not yet voted on the data center moratorium, if they reject it, organizers will have the option of placing the proposal on the ballot for voters to decide in November.