LACY LAKEVIEW, Texas (KXXV) — Lacy Lakeview is continuing its push to build a data center on land currently located in Ross, Texas.
Sujeeth Draksharam with InfraKey confirmed to 25 News that InfraKey Capital LLC submitted a release petition to the city of Waco on April 7, for 521.759 acres along Taylor Lane.
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The petition was filed under Senate Bill 2038, a Texas law enacted by the 88th Legislature that allows property owners and residents to unilaterally petition to have their land removed from a municipality's Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, or ETJ. The law went into effect on September 1, 2023.
The city of Waco must now respond to the petition in accordance with Senate Bill 2038.
"In accordance with Texas Senate Bill 2038 [capitol.texas.gov] [passed into law in 2023] and Chapter 42 [statutes.capitol.texas.gov] of the Texas Local Government Code, the City is required to release property from its ETJ if a petition meets all statutory requirements for filing. The release process is administrative in nature and does not require a public hearing or action by the City Council. Under state law, the City has 45 days to act on a valid ETJ release petition. The City will comply with all applicable state laws related to the petition.
The city's role in reviewing the petition involves verifying the ownership, description and acreage of the property, and if the petition meets statutory requirements and the property does not fall under any exceptions laid out in state statute, the city does not have discretion in whether to approve it. The property owner is not required to disclose development plans or potential future uses of the property as part of the petition."
Draksharam says the next steps are getting water for the data center.
Lacy Lakeview's City Manager Calvin Hodde responded to questions via an open records request.
Question: Infrakey submitted a petition for the data center property to be released out of Waco’s ETJ, when can Lacy Lakeview expect to annex the property?
Answer: "We do not have a time line for this. There are several issues that must be worked out for this to happen and we don’t know when this will take place."
Question: How much property would be needed to be annexed between the data center site and Lacy Lakeview city borders?
Answer: "There really is no set amount as far as acreage. The law states that there must be at least a 1000-foot-wide land area."
Question: Where does the city of Lacy Lakeview stand on receiving water for the data center project for the city of Waco.
Answer: "The city of Lacy Lakeview is not trying to get water from the city of Waco for the data center. We are working with them to obtain effluent for the project."
Question: Residents have noted, Lacy Lakeview and Infrakey have not held any town hall meetings yet to address questions and concerns, does the city still plan to host these? If so, when?
Answer: "The city does not plan on having any town hall meetings, but we will be hosting an Open House forum where residents and concerned citizens will be able to attend and ask questions about the project. Infrakey and the city are both working out issues that need to be addressed before accurate answers can be given.Any issues with the project are being worked on, and possible solutions are being addressed on a daily basis.A project of this size and scope takes time to develop."
Question: What is your message to folks who continue to show up and speak out against the project?
Answer: "We appreciate their participation and welcome their comments. As information becomes available, we will share it with the public."
Question: Why is it important for the city to continue working in partnership with Infrakey to build this data center.
Answer: "This property is in an unincorporated area and currently no restrictions exist. With municipal oversight, we can place requirements and restrictions on how the property is constructed and operated. Noise requirements, height requirements, setbacks from existing property, lighting requirements and landscape requirements are just to name a few. This is also a great opportunity for the city to address economic development. This project could bring in substantial revenue to the city to address infrastructure needs within the city and the surrounding community."
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