By Ashley Bean Thornton

Last June, a company called Infrakey Capital purchased 520 Acres of farmland near Lacy Lakeview.  They are planning to build a huge “Data Center Park” with six data centers.  The project has sparked controversy.

On the one hand, if the project goes through as planned it could expand the tax base enormously.  At an estimated value of $10 billion, it could mean two to three hundred million dollars a year in additional property tax revenue.

On the other hand, the project would likely require a stunning 15 to 16 million gallons of water per day, and a similarly huge amount of electricity.   Neighbors worry that the data center would be a huge eyesore, and that the noise and light from the data centers would make their homes unlivable.

There have been several excellent articles about the project recently:

• $10B data center proposal north of Waco draws neighbors’ ire (Waco Trib, 12.8.25)
• Q&A: County Judge Scott Felton talks data centers, growth, redistricting and his last lap in office (Waco Bridge, 12.8.25)
• ‘They should have warned us’ says Rep. Curry at packed anti-data center meeting  (The Waco Bridge, 12.9.25)
• Water, power, politics: Three challenges for the $10B data center project  (The Waco Bridge, 12.14.25)
• Water needs, sources for Lacy Lakeview data center unclear (Waco Trib, 12.15.25)

Would the data center be a paradigm-shifting benefit as some believe, or would it be an environmental disaster?  Should it get a green light — full speed ahead!  Or a red light — stop it completely! 

Is there room for a yellow light — a deal that would allow the project to continue, and also allay some of the most worrisome concerns?

It seems like now is the time for due diligence, for questions.  I have listed 40 questions I have about the project below.

I guess the big questions, though, are for the members of the community:

• • • If you are against the project – What would need to happen to make it OK with you to move forward?
    • If you are for the project – What would be the deal breaker for you?  What would cause you to decide you did not want it after all?

With those big questions in mind, here are my 40 questions.  We know the answers to some and are still looking for the answers to others.  What questions would you add?

General Questions:

• • • • What is a data center and why do we have them?
      • Who makes the money from the data center once it is up and running?
      • Other than the tax revenue, how much of that money would circulate in McLennan County?
      • Is this an “all or nothing” project or would it be possible to get started on a smaller scale and then scale up?
      • Who has final approval authority over this project?  What influence can local governments have over it?
      • Is there any legal basis to stop it if the people don’t want it?
      • Would there be penalties if the data center does not meet commitments on tax payments, water use limits, noise/light controls, etc? Who would have the authority to enforce those penalties and how?
      • What happens if the project is sold to a different company?  What kinds of control would the community have over that new company?
      • How will this change demand/use for roads, emergency services (fire, police, EMS)?
      • Will there be some kind of process for neighbors who have complaints once the project is complete?

Questions about the Tax Revenue:

• • • • • What is the potential tax revenue that could come from this data center and what entities would likely receive that tax revenue?
        • How does that compare to the tax revenue those entities are receiving now?
        • When would that tax revenue start?  Would there be abatements?  How would that work?
        • Would more tax revenue from this source mean residents would pay less in property taxes?
        • What would the different entities that receive the money do with it?  What projects and improvements would come out of it?  How might the communities receiving the taxes look different in 10 years because of this additional tax revenue?
        • What school districts would benefit from this tax revenue?  What could they use the money to do?
        • Would this push the affected school districts into recapture?  If so, how would that affect the funding available for the schools?

Questions about Jobs:

• • • • • • What kinds of/how many jobs would this center be creating in the short term?  Would these jobs go to local people?
          • What kinds of/how many jobs would this center be creating in the long term?  Would those jobs go to current residents, or would new people with special skills be moving in?
          • What level of education would these jobs require?  How would they pay?

Questions about the land and neighbors:

• • • • • • • Who owns the land right now? What is it being used for right now?
            • Once it is built, would it just be a bunch of ugly boxes or would there be any attempt to make it visually appealing?
            • How would it affect the immediate neighbors?  What would be done to control light, sound, traffic?
            • Will neighbors be compensated if the value of their property goes down because of the data center?
            • If it goes out of business or the project doesn’t work out once it is started, who is responsible?

Questions about Water:

• • • • • • • • How much water would it use per day?  How does that compare to how much water the city is using right now? (Please state this in some understandable way, like this is the equivalent of “X” households.)
              • Where would that water come from?
              • What infrastructure would be required?  Who would pay for that?
              • Once that water is used, how long will it take to recover it? Would it need to be treated?  Would it just evaporate?
              • Who would get first dibs on the water supply if there is a drought?
              • Would cost for water likely go up for everyone because of the high use created by this project?
              • Would there be people/industries who could not get water because of the high use created by this project?
              • Would we need to restrict new residential development or other industrial development (that might provide more and better jobs) because of the high use created by this project?
              • Would this project pollute our water?

Questions about Power:

• • • • • • • • • How much power would this project need?  How does that compare to the power an average household uses?
                • Where would the power come from?
                • What infrastructure would be required?  Who would pay for that?
                • If the power comes from the grid, who would get first dibs if there is not enough power, for example if we have an extremely hot or cold day?
                • If the project includes its own power source what would that be and what are the implications for pollution from that power source?
                • Would the high power needs for this project cause electricity to cost more for local residents?

Questions about the Environment:

• • • • • • • • • What would the impact be on the environment?  What kind of pollution risk would there be?
                • Are there any health risks associated with living near a data center?