Taylor residents fight sale of property to tech developer

TAYLOR, Texas - A plot of land in the City of Taylor is on track to become a 135,000 square foot data center. But residents say that same plot of land was always supposed to be a park, and the development will cause irreparable damage to the families who call the neighborhood home. 

A Childhood Promise and a Park Deed

What we know:

Pamela Griffin grew up on First Avenue in Taylor. As a child, she recalls playing on a field just across the road owned by the Bland family. 

"We used to play baseball. We used to do all kinds of stuff on that man's land, and he allowed us to," said Griffin. "He knew we needed it. He understood the needs of the community."

Griffin says the owner of the property made a promise to her father. 

"He promised my dad that he was going to give it to us," said Griffin. 

The Bland family did just that, signing the roughly 87-acre property over to the Texas Parks and Recreation Foundation in 1999. The deed states that the property was "to be held in trust for future use as parkland by Williamson County."

The land has passed hands since then. 

How Park Land Became a $10 Million Data Center Site

Timeline:

In 2003, it was granted first to the Williamson County Park Foundation, then to the city of Taylor, but it was never turned into a park. 

In 2008, the land was sold to the Taylor Economic Development Corporation, a private non-profit that is funded by one half percent of the yearly sales tax collected by the City of Taylor, but functions separately from the city. 

Still, the land sat empty. Because it wasn't maintained, Griffin warned her own grandchildren against playing over there for fear of ticks. 

In April of this year, the land changed hands once more when the Taylor Economic Development Corporation sold the property to Blueprint projects for $10 million to construct a data center. 

Residents Voice Concerns

What they're saying:

Aside from not being a park, Griffin says the data center will cause harm to the existing community. 

"This community is a black and brown community, low-income. They can barely afford to make it. They don't need their property tax to go up. They don't need their water bill to go up, their electric bill," said Griffin.

Other concerns residents have about the project include noise and falling property values in the neighborhood. 

Dig deeper:

That's why Griffin, and other members of her family who own neighboring properties filed a lawsuit, asking the court to enforce the deed restriction and block commercial development and construction from occurring on the property, so the land can be used as it was intended to be. 

"We just need to get it back," said Griffin. "If I have to take the last my daddy saved for us to build that park for this community, I will, because this community deserves that."

City of Taylor cites revenue benefits

The other side:

FOX 7 reached out to the city of Taylor regarding the proposed data center, and subsequent community concerns. 

In response, they sent this statement: "The City of Taylor is not party to any lawsuit related to Blueprint Projects Data Center. We do not have any additional information or insight."

The City of Taylor's website does provide additional information stating expected benefits from the project could be as high as $30 million in additional revenue. The website states that those dollars could be spent on things like streets, sidewalks and school districts. 

Griffin says she is not opposed to data centers being built in the city in general, but she wants to see the land in question be used for the good of the neighborhood, the way it was always intended to be. 

Monday's Court Hearing Set

What's next:

Griffin says she and other community members are prepared to continue to fight until they get the land back, no matter how long it takes. 

A court hearing for the case is scheduled on Monday at 9am in Georgetown. Plaintiffs are calling on others in the community to show their support by showing up and wearing red to signify where they stand on the issue. 

TaylorWilliamson County