City Council approves zoning for data center in southeast Fort Worth
The City Council granted final zoning approval to a developer looking to construct a data center in rural southeast Fort Worth, clearing the way for the project despite passionate pleas from residents.
At its Sept. 30 meeting, the council considered a request from Black Mountain, a Fort Worth-based energy consortium, to rezone 119 acres for light industrial to accommodate the proposed data center. The council had previously approved rezoning more than 300 acres of surrounding land for the $10 billion development.
Rhett Bennett, CEO of Black Mountain, said the project would bring thousands of construction jobs to the area during build out, then hundreds of high-paying jobs once the data center and associated industrial park were complete. Bennett estimated the development would contribute approximately $8 million in annual tax revenue to the city.
At the council meeting were a contingent representing Weston Gardens, which occupies two tracts of land on Anglin Drive near the proposed data center site. On the east side of Anglin is Weston’s garden center and plant nursery. On the west side are the historic botanical gardens, which serve as an event venue in addition to being open to the public.
Owner Sue Weston and her son, Jackson, both spoke in opposition to the zoning request, as did a Weston Gardens customer and a former employee.
Jackson Weston said they had “grave concerns” about the data center’s proposed placement next to the botanical gardens. Sue said the size of the buildings coupled with the potential noise and light pollution would adversely affect the event venue business, not to mention the peace and tranquility of the gardens.
Some in opposition shared concerns about the data center’s water and energy usage. Studies have shown that data centers, particularly those housing powerful chips for AI computing, have high electricity and water demands. Much of that comes down to how the chips are cooled.
While advanced water- and energy-efficient cooling systems exist, Black Mountain would not specify what type of system its data center could use.
“[It’s] very early and premature to speculate,” Allison Donahue, a Black Mountain spokesperson, previously told the Star-Telegram. “The technology is just changing so rapidly, quarter by quarter, so several years from now we can only imagine how much better and more efficient it will be.”
The Black Mountain data center will receive its water from the city of Fort Worth, Bennett said, after a speaker raised a question about it potentially using well water and depleting the area’s water table.
Fort Worth Water Director Chris Harder spoke before the council and said the city would have oversight of the Black Mountain project to ensure it wouldn’t place undue strain on the existing infrastructure.
After hearing the opposing voices, council member Chris Nettles, who represents the area where the data center is going, ultimately moved to approve the zoning in Black Mountain’s favor.
When doing so, he referenced the other 300 acres of the development for which the council had already approved zoning. Nettles then said he was confident that a floodplain and wooded area between the Black Mountain property and Weston’s would serve as a natural noise and sightline buffer.
On Nettles’ recommendation, the motion passed.
After the meeting, Nettles said he understood the Westons’ position, but he felt Black Mountain had done its due diligence to listen to residents and address their concerns. He added that Fort Worth was a growing city, and inevitably developments like this would start popping up in some of our rural areas. Nettles said he believed the advantages of the Black Mountain project, in terms of jobs and tax revenue, outweighed the negatives.
“Is there a great place for a data center?” he asked hypothetically. “I think this one is OK.”
Sue Weston still doesn’t think so. “They haven’t heard the last of me,” she said outside the council chambers. Weston said she’d continue to hold Black Mountain accountable, ensuring it lives up to its promise to be a good neighbor.
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM.