Data centers in Montgomery County, Texas: 2 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Montgomery County, north of Houston, already has two operating data centers: Stream Data Centers' 7.8-megawatt facility in The Woodlands and Comcast's Willis Data Center, whose power use is not reported. No large new project has been proposed, but the city of Conroe decided in August not to wait for one. Conroe has no zoning and no data centers within its limits, but officials said companies had already shown "some interest here in Conroe" without naming any company or site. On August 13 the City Council approved rules for any future data center's permitting, operation and eventual removal; a further public hearing before final adoption is still to be scheduled.

The rules apply to facilities of at least 75 megawatts of power. An applicant must file 37 items before permitting begins, including a water and grid study, noise and hazardous materials plans, and a decommissioning plan, and must pay for any infrastructure the project needs. Cooling must be closed-loop so it does not draw on the public water supply; backup power must last at least 72 hours; noise may not exceed 5 decibels above ambient levels at the property line; and a data center must sit at least 300 feet from homes, schools, hospitals and parks. No permit can issue without City Council approval after a public hearing. "The reason for bringing this forward is to really have a mechanism in place so we can protect our infrastructure and our taxpayers," said Community Development Director Brandy Taylor.

Not everyone thought it was enough. "Why was the 300 feet selected? What evidence says that is enough distance to protect residents and children?" asked resident Moniqua' Scott. Conroe resident Josh Graff called the ordinance "a great start" that did "not go far enough" on light, noise, water and emissions. "At this moment, the city has no protection," Mayor Duke Coon said, calling it a starting point to be tightened. The Montgomery County Commissioners Court, which governs the areas around Conroe, has taken no public action on data centers.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.