Fort Worth Zoning Panel Rejects Proposed Data‑Center Rules

The vote hands the debate to the City Council, highlighting that cities lack authority over energy, water and state tax incentives.

Overview

On July 8 the Fort Worth Zoning Commission voted 7-4 to recommend denial of the city staff’s proposed data‑center zoning amendments after more than two hours of public comment.
The draft rules would have required 250‑foot building setbacks from homes, 300‑to‑350‑foot spacing and masonry screening for outdoor generators and equipment, acoustic barriers for rooftop cooling, 50‑foot landscape buffers and limits on lighting near neighborhoods.
City staff also proposed limiting new data centers to industrial zones, reclassifying cryptocurrency mining to allow more local controls, and tightening criteria for economic development incentives.
The City Council will review the package at a work session on Aug. 4 and could vote on Aug. 11, so the final outcome now rests with elected council members rather than the zoning panel.
The dispute occurs as state actors press for broader rules after ERCOT reported about 410 gigawatts of large‑load requests and Governor Greg Abbott urged regulators to make developers bear infrastructure costs, which could shift legal fights to state agencies or the Legislature.