WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Many people who live and work in downtown Waco say they had no idea a data center was operating in the middle of their neighborhood.
The building on Austin Avenue may look like just another office space, but it is home to the DataBank data center.
When asked if they knew a data center was in downtown Waco, residents gave a clear answer.
"No, I did not."
"I had no idea."
"I didn't know… but I'm very against it."
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Some of those residents said they spend significant time in the area.
"I walk here every day."
"I work just down the street."
"I come here often."
According to the company's website, the Waco location serves as a disaster recovery and backup hub for major Texas cities including Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
The facility has been in downtown Waco since 2009,originally owned by Clear view Information Technology Gateway. DataBank acquired it for data center use in 2020,reportedly running on 100 percent renewable energy using sources like wind and solar power.
After reaching out to the City of Waco with detailed questions, the City Development Services Director responded.
"The data center began operations in 2009. At that time, it was a permitted use in the C-4 Downtown Zoning District and did not require any special zoning approval to operate."
DataBank declined to comment.
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.
