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It was nearly midnight by the time the Red Oak City Council voted in favor of an 830-acre data center that will be built at the edge of town.
The decision was met with outrage in the packed council chamber, where more than 150 Red Oak residents sat, and dozens more waited outside after being barred from entering due to fire code capacity restrictions. For hours, residents took to the microphone to denounce the latest in what has become a booming industry for Red Oak; at least five other centers are either being planned or are under construction in the town, which is 20 miles south of Dallas.
Among their concerns was traffic congestion caused by industrial construction, noise emitted by the centers, water runoff and management and light pollution. Nearly 1,600 people have signed a petition opposing the development. The town has a population of around 20,000.
“[This development] is hurting people’s homes, their retirement. I’ve been here since I was 12 years old. That’s over 64 years,” said Martell Edwards, one of the dozens of opponents to the proposal. “This is where I’ve chosen to stay, but I’m not really sure I’m going to continue.”
The plan that was approved on Monday will be built by the developer Compass. The planned campus spans nearly a dozen data center buildings and several substations. Red Oak’s planning and zoning board recommended denial for the project during a meeting at the end of April, but the council passed the development in a 4-1 vote after approving several changes recommended by city staff to the zoning ordinance.
Among the new requirements are shielding to prevent lighting from bothering neighbors, decibel limits and a ban on cryptocurrency mining. City staff also assured residents that the centers will operate on a closed-loop water-cooling system that uses less water annually than a Walmart Supercenter and will not be hooked up to the city’s utility line.
Additionally, the council’s briefing stated that the project will result in $72 million in electric grid reinforcements. Last year, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 6 into law, which requires that during periods of grid strain, high-demand industrial customers, such as data centers, be forced to use a “kill switch” to reduce their load.
“Development is coming, and this is just one form of development,” said council member Ricardo Miller, who argued that the demand on city resources caused by a data center is significantly less than that of a 3,200-home development, which is about the size of what could fit in the area planned for the centers.
Still, most residents appeared unconvinced that the development will offer the town a long-term benefit.
The council approved a $2.82 million tax abatement over the next decade, and though the center is expected to create jobs, most will be temporary construction work. Additionally, city staff acknowledged that the construction phase is “when people are going to feel the impact” of the project, as industrial equipment and workers flow through the city’s two-lane roads.
Public speakers continually referenced mud runoff, traffic congestion, and road degradation that have occurred at a nearby data center construction site as examples of the types of nuisances the developments can result in. City staff said the ordinance passed on Monday will require Compass to maintain the area’s surrounding roads, and notices and fines can be used to enforce rules such as the noise restrictions.
“I think a lot of the residents are asking a very reasonable question. What are we getting in return?” asked Scott Friend, an Ellis County resident who lives on the same road as the campus. “This conversation is happening everywhere, and Red Oak should take the time to make it right.”
According to Data Center Watch, some $64 billion in development was staunched by community activism between March 2024 and March 2025. Most recently, residents of a rural Utah town have protested a 40,000-acre campus backed by Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary. In North Texas, some counties have attempted to pass moratoriums barring the construction of additional centers.
Red Oak officials said planning for the development has taken place over the past six years, which seemed to vindicate some community members who suggested that the council had reached a decision long before Monday’s meeting.
“I disagree wholly with the idea that we aren’t being transparent, because there’s no money in my pockets being lined,” said council member Sean Flannery. “I think the city has done some heavy work to get the answers. … and if you want to run [for election] against me, run against me.”
Even as officials touted the advantages of development, some residents lamented Red Oak’s shift towards industrial building. Online, commenters argued that it is a “disgrace” to replace farmland with the cold, boxy buildings data centers are known for.
“I voted for you guys. I have not ever missed a vote in Red Oak, and I don’t remember ever hearing a vote for a data center,” resident Bobby Mason told the council. “This is against God’s word.”
