GRIMES COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — A developer is working to purchase 175 acres along County Road 179 to build a data center, and neighbors say they stand to lose a lot.
Watch the full story here:
Robert Raley, a local resident who has lived in the area for 19 years, said the project was never part of the plan for the community.
"Not in the plan that we had. I've been here for 19 years and did not ever think that the possibility of a data center being built would be an issue around here," Raley said.
Raley said light pollution is among his biggest concerns.
"I don't have city lights. I don't have anything. I come out here and I look at the sky on a clear night. I can see everything. That's gonna go away," Raley said.
Other neighbors say the development will affect their livelihoods. Jacqueline Ross, a local resident, said the facility could interfere with her animals.
"Messes with their fertility. It's biologically, uh, their mating cycles are interfered with," Jacqueline Ross said.
Her husband, Waymond Ross, said the couple depends on their cattle as a source of income in retirement.
"Well, I'm, I'm worried about the birth rate dropping off. We're retired. The animals and the cattle that, the calves that we sell, uh, is a supplemental income to us," Waymond Ross said.
Savannah Haggerty, another local resident, said the project threatens her small farming operation.
"I have pigs, goats, cows, and I have, uh, of course, my horses and chickens, and we are raising them to, you know, to sell raw milk and to grow meat for the community, and now they're taking those dreams away from us," Haggerty said.
Raley also said the noise from the facility would change the character of the area for his family.
"You're not going to send the kids out to play and sit there and hear [noise] all day long. It's just not, not going to be the same," Raley said.
Although company officials walked the property at the end of April, the county says no official permits have been applied for.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the
assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
