The Wichita Falls Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday and consider taking action on an ordinance amendment intended to accommodate an anticipated large influx of workers to build data centers.
The meeting will be at 2 p.m. in the Seminar Room of the Multi-Purpose Events Center, 1000 Fifth St. It is open to the public.
The commission developed a rough draft of rules for housing those workers at an April 8 meeting.
“Recent and anticipated developments in and around the City may place increased pressure on the availability of housing, hotel accommodations and RV sites,” a background report from the city planning division said.
The report also said the demand may drive up housing costs, noting the Stargate Project in Abilene drove up rent by $1,000 once construction started.
Development Services Director Fabian Medellin told commission members at a March 11 meeting the city would try to accommodate the anticipated workers without disrupting the existing housing market or water and sewer capacity by looking at areas suitable for temporary developments.
Medellin said there are 1,568 potential pad sites for manufacturer houses and RVs in Wichita Falls.
The purpose of the ordinance, according to the draft, would be to provide a regulatory framework for development and “prevent long-term or unintended residential encroachment into non-residential areas.”
Skybox Datacenter of Dallas announced in February it planned to build a large data center on 225 acres in the city’s business park. Google in late April confirmed potential plans to build a large data center southwest of Wichita Falls in Archer County.
The Wichita Falls City Council on May 5 rejected a zoning change that would have allowed construction of a data center near Interstate Highway 44 and Airport Drive in the north part of the city.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, Planning and Zoning commissioners will hear recommendations from city staff to deny a plat request for the construction of a large truck stop in the vicinity of I-44 and Bacon Switch Road and recommendations to deny some residential development in Lake Wellington Estates and the Grove addition.
The City Council has final approval of any action taken by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Hearing set on data center housing boom expected in Wichita Falls
Reporting by Lynn Walker, Wichita Falls Times Record News / Wichita Falls Times Record News
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