Prosper's Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 late Tuesday night to recommend that the Town Council deny the rezoning needed for a data center off FM 1385.
The vote followed more than 400 emails submitted before the meeting and comments from dozens of people who spoke during it.
It is not the final word. The proposal goes to the full Prosper Town Council on Sept. 8, and the council is not bound by the commission's recommendation.
What was proposed
White Rose Partners, a Dallas-based developer, revealed plans last month for a data center on a 37-acre tract off FM 1385, near Parvin Road, in the Denton County portion of Prosper. The project is called Project Tomahawk.
The rezoning would have changed the land from agricultural use to a planned development allowing the data center.
Published estimates of the project's cost have varied. The developer has described a total investment of "hundreds of millions of dollars" without giving a precise figure.
What the commission said
Commissioner Josh Carson framed his objection around who the project actually serves.
"The things that are hurting the project, in my opinion, are the net benefit to Prosper," Carson said. "I appreciate Aubrey, I appreciate Celina and the folks around us, but that's not who I'm elected to represent. So I would say the net benefit to Prosper, I can't find.
There's a tax benefit that's real, but I don't think the world revolves strictly based on tax revenue, and I don't think we look at developments only from an economic benefit."
What residents said
Opponents raised noise, light pollution, water use and potential environmental effects. The objections came from Prosper residents and also from people living in neighboring towns.
