Project News / Data Center
Fort Worth and Lubbock Hold Data Center Moratorium Hearings on Nov. 10
Fort Worth's proposed 90-day pause would exempt vested projects, while Lubbock pairs its moratorium with a new data-center development code.
Fort Worth and Lubbock will both hold public hearings Nov. 10 on proposed 90-day moratoriums on new large data-center development, adding two of the state's larger cities to a growing list of local governments reviewing such projects.
In Fort Worth, the city's Data Center & Infrastructure Commission will present its report at a 4 p.m. work session, followed by the first public hearing at the 6 p.m. council meeting. A tentative adoption vote is set for Feb. 16, 2027, and requires a council supermajority.
Fort Worth's moratorium would run 90 days and could be extended once by another 90 days. Once it ends, the city could not impose another data-center moratorium for two years. It would not apply to vested or approved projects or to those with zoning applications already submitted.
The city's own count lists four existing data-center developments with 10 buildings and more than 3 million square feet, one project under construction, four proposed projects inside city limits and two in its extraterritorial jurisdiction. The Zoning Commission denied companion zoning amendments 7 to 4 on July 8, and the council began the moratorium process Aug. 11.
In Lubbock, the council hearing is set for 2 p.m. The moratorium would cover new rezoning, permitting and annexation applications for large-scale data centers. The council voted 5 to 2 on Sept. 22 to begin the process.
Lubbock is also drafting a data-center development code. The draft would require 300-foot setbacks where a site borders non-industrial zoning and 500-foot setbacks for on-site generation and transmission equipment. It would set a 57-decibel noise limit at property lines, a low-frequency limit and weekday-only generator testing.
The Lubbock draft would also require a berm or 7-foot wall, closed-cycle gas turbines, a decommissioning plan and letter of credit for sites with on-site power, and a new permit for expansions of more than 10% in load or water use. It defines data centers by the state's large-load threshold or water use above 100,000 gallons a day, and it includes cryptocurrency mining. The council is scheduled to take up the code Dec. 1.
