LEON COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — Leon County residents are mobilizing against a proposed 1,500-megawatt data center that could transform their quiet countryside community.
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Developer Belltown Power is proposing the Kahla Project on private land near Marquez, but locals say they're prepared to fight the development they believe threatens their way of life.
"We're not gonna let them come in and poison our families, our kids, our grandkids for generations to come. Not without a fight," Leon County resident Daniel McCoslin said.
McCoslin lives less than one mile from where the proposed data center would be built and worries about impacts on his family.
"This is going to affect my kids, my grandkids, anybody that wants to live that close," McCoslin said.
Leon County resident Ann McCoslin shares concerns about the unknown impacts.
"There's a lot of unknown, and that's almost just as terrifying as what is already known," Ann McCoslin said.
Residents say they're worried about potential health impacts on families and livestock, around-the-clock industrial lighting, constant noise from the facility, public safety risks, and the amount of water needed to keep a data center running continuously.
But their biggest fear is losing what makes Leon County special to them.
"I just as soon be raising my family the way that I was raised, and bringing a large industry like this here is not gonna do anything but change that," Leon County resident TJ Foley said.
For many residents, this land represents more than property—it's a legacy passed down through generations.
"We've got some of these families that have been here for 200 years," Leon County resident Lee Weiler said.
Despite being a small community, residents tell 15 ABC they won't back down from this fight.
"We might be a small county, but we're loud. And we care deeply about the people here and we care deeply about the native resources that we have here," Leon County resident, Sylvia Guzman said.
Foley believes the data center should be built elsewhere.
"Take the data center where it's wanted and where it's needed and it's not Leon County," Foley said.
15 ABC reached out to Belltown Power for comment but have not received a response.
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