Proposed data center campus worries tourist destinations south of Fort Worth
People living along the scenic Paluxy Valley and near Dinosaur Valley State Park are worried that a proposed data center development could upend their peaceful lives and harm a delicate ecosystem.
Sailfish Investors, based in West Palm Beach, Florida, is proposing to build Comanche Circle at 8709 Paluxy Highway on the Hood and Somervell county line near Tolar and Glen Rose.
The development would also be close to Dinosaur Valley State Park.
A report from Data Center Dynamics indicated that Comanche Circle would be 2,600 acres, but Ryan Hughes, managing partner for Sailfish Investors, said in an email that the concept plan for the data center campus would be smaller than what was reported.
Hughes said he would provide more details about the data center development publicly when it is presented to Hood County.
Residents and officials who attended a meeting Monday night at Sledge Distillery outside Tolar said they aren’t against industry and development, but it needs to be where industries are already located.
Brian Crawford, who helped form the nonprofit Protect the Paluxy Valley Inc., said his ranch of over 100 acres abuts the proposed Comanche Circle development. He raises rare scimitar Oryx, an antelope species found in North Africa, on his property.
“I’m a very conservative person,” Crawford said in an interview. ”I’m a capitalist, and I like progress. I don’t mind industrialization, but I think there is a place for it.”
Crawford said he and his wife are retired, and they like the darkness at night and worry that the data center would bring unwanted lights and noise.
Crawford said he can see the “glow” from Comanche Peak, the nuclear power plant near Glen Rose, which doesn’t bother him.
Elected officials from Tolar, Glen Rose and Somervell County who attended the meeting said they are also worried about increased traffic, water use and pollution.
George Freas, a Glen Rose city council member, questioned why developers are building data centers in rural areas, and said water use is a particular concern. Hyperscale data centers can consume up to 150 billion to 300 billion gallons of water per year.
“I’m concerned as a member of the council. You have to think about the next 20, 30, 40 years,” he said.
Freas said tourism is a major revenue source for Glen Rose.
Glen Rose is near well-known attractions such as Dinosaur Valley State Park and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.
The city has a historic town square, and there are various Girl Scout and church camps along the Paluxy River, he said.
He fears the data center campus would diminish the water supply and put a damper on tourism.
Meanwhile, Hughes wrote in his email that Comanche Circle is in the Upper Trinity Ground Water District and must follow its rules for water use.
Hughes said Sailfish chose the Paluxy Highway location because it is outside of Hood County’s designated water quality districts.
Hughes also addressed the concerns about increased traffic.
“We specifically selected a site within one of Hood County’s Road Corridor Districts. This is an area the county designated for commercial growth specifically to keep commercial traffic on major thoroughfares and away from residential neighborhoods,” Hughes said.
Sailfish Investments has “great respect for Glen Rose’s tourism industry,” Hughes wrote.
The data center site is around seven miles from the Glen Rose town square, Hughes stated in his email.
“Due to this significant distance and natural visual buffers, the facility will not be able to be seen nor heard from the town center or primary tourism areas,” Hughes said. “Separately, we expect this project to generate a significant amount of construction and long-term operational jobs, along with associated tax revenue and meaningful support for the local economy.”
Comanche Circle site is in an area where there are high voltage transmission power lines, which minimizes the need for “other transmission corridors,” Hughes said.
But Gary Hutsell, who is the mayor and fire chief in Tolar, said he worries because the area is served by nine volunteer fire departments, and it would require a lot of resources for a small city like Tolar to respond.
He also is concerned about changes to the natural beauty of the area.
“This is the connection between North Texas and the Hill Country, and the bottom line is that the Paluxy Valley is just not the place for industrial development,” Hutsell said.