On Wednesday evening in Taylor, dozens of residents left their living rooms and headed to the streets, protesting a proposed rezoning that could greenlight a massive data center campus next to Samsung’s semiconductor plant. Holding homemade signs and crowding near city offices, they urged elected officials to hit pause, arguing the project would bring heavy noise, more traffic, and industrial infrastructure too close to nearby homes and Taylor High School. The rally unfolded just one day before the City Council was scheduled to weigh the rezoning request.
Where Project Comal Would Sit
Developer KDC is pitching the project, known as Project Comal, on roughly 210 acres at 1051 County Road 401, directly northeast of Samsung’s Taylor campus, according to the City of Taylor. City staff has recommended an Employment Center zoning that would allow large-scale industrial uses and note a proposed buffer of more than 300 feet separating the development from the Castlewood South neighborhood. On its project page, the city also directs residents to fact sheets and financial impact reports prepared for both the school district and the city.
Neighbors Raise Alarms
Neighbors told the Taylor Press they fear backup generators, a constant mechanical hum, and added truck traffic would erode their quality of life and disrupt students at the nearby high school. One resident who previously worked in a data center warned that the noise could be like a "permanent migraine," and others urged council members to slow the process until stricter local regulations are in place. Protesters also told KVUE that parts of the proposed footprint would sit roughly 200 feet from some homes.
City, Developer Tout Tax Windfall
City leaders and KDC have been selling Project Comal as a major economic win, saying the campus would add significant taxable value and pump money into public services. KDC, which has marketed nearby land as "Taylor HQ," says it plans to work with the city on design controls and prefers closed-loop, air-cooled systems to reduce water use while minimizing light and noise, according to KDC. Opponents counter that the rosy fiscal projections will not make up for long-term infrastructure burdens and environmental costs.
What Council Will Decide
Taylor’s City Council was set to consider the employment center rezoning at its Thursday meeting, which KVUE reports was scheduled for 6 p.m., with council materials including financial impact studies for both the city and the school district. As outlined in a city fact sheet, rezoning is only the opening act. KDC would still need a water service agreement, detailed site plans, and a stack of permits before construction could begin or utilities could be connected, per the City of Taylor.
How This Fits a Regional Trend
Project Comal is the latest in a series of large data center proposals north of Austin that developers say capitalize on the new Samsung campus. It also joins a growing list of contentious plans that have stirred local resistance over power demand, water use, and potential exposure of taxpayers. Local reporting and industry coverage note that Taylor has already grappled with a separate Blueprint data center fight and that the area’s rapid data center buildout has fueled broader debates about how far and how fast to grow, per Bisnow. Residents at Wednesday’s rally said they plan to show up at the council meeting and press officials for tougher protections if the rezoning moves ahead.
