Overview
- Westlake’s planning panel approved a site plan for a 1.1 million square foot Powerhouse data center near the Denton Highway border with Keller on Aug. 4, and Westlake officials say the land is already zoned for data centers and the project is allowed by right.
- A deleted Facebook post on Aug. 6 threatened gun violence against Westlake council members in connection with the project, prompting Keller police to track down and question a Fort Worth resident; no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
- Keller City Council unanimously voted to retain legal counsel and Mayor Ross McMullin said he will add a future agenda item to consider authorizing formal legal action if Westlake proceeds, a move that signals a likely intercity court fight.
- Westlake has scheduled a special Town Council meeting for Aug. 17 to review the development agreement and will have extra security at that meeting because of the social-media threat.
- Neighbors who packed the Aug. 4 hearing raised concerns about noise, water use, light, health and property values, and the dispute highlights how an allowed-by-right project in one town can spark cross-border legal and public-safety conflicts.