Lacy Lakeview council members recently approved an agreement with InfraKey to move forward with a $10 billion data center, but the controversial project faces significant hurdles before construction can begin.
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State House District 56 Representative Pat Curry said he was surprised by the announcement and believes the city "put the cart before the horse" by moving forward the deal without addressing key logistical challenges or speaking with other entities.
"We want all these little cities to get the best tax base they can get. We want all of them to do it. But the question is, do you have a spot to do it and what is the right industry to put in," Curry said.
The project has ignited controversy across the community, with neighbors and local leaders raising concerns about the massive development planned near Ross.
Curry described the deal as a "rookie" move, noting that annexing the 520-acre tract for the data center involves a complicated process.
"The MOU (memorandum of understanding) to annex it really means nothing, zero. The money that they're gonna have to spend now is with lawyers dealing with the county and the city of Waco," Curry said.
When asked if the project could be stopped, Curry suggested it might halt itself due to planning challenges.
"It's not too late. The project's gonna stop itself. I mean, if they don't have everything put together... Now they've created this big uproar, so not only do they have to get their plan together, but then they got to go sell it," Curry said.
InfraKey Data Centers engineer Sujeeth Draksharam said the location was chosen because of existing power lines in the area. Speaking at Lacy Lakeview's last city council meeting, he acknowledged community concerns about the lack of information.
"People are concerned because there is not much information right there, but we are going to be going through this process as the mayor has stated right there, one step at a time. Our focus is first to get the wastewater treated and reuse for the purposes of the data center, not necessarily fresh water," Draksharam said.
Draksharam said InfraKey will work with the community for future planning and address concerns, though he admitted he doesn't have many answers for neighbors yet.
Curry said both the city and InfraKey now face significant challenges amid local resistance.
"All of us are involved now and we'll all work together to try to help them and both sides to get to the bottom of this and get to the facts and then determine where it's gonna go from there," Curry said.
A community meeting to oppose the data center will be held Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Ross Volunteer Fire Department at 6 p.m.
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