San Antonio’s latest growth fight lands on the West Side tonight, where state regulators are taking public comment on Vantage Data Centers’ plan for a three-story, roughly 360,000-square-foot data center with a price tag of about $157 million on Rogers Road. Supporters see faster connectivity and fresh investment. Neighbors are worried about noise, air quality and heavy utility use. The hearing starts at 7 p.m., and the testimony that lands on the record could help decide whether the permit moves forward as proposed.
Where and how to speak
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has scheduled a notice-and-comment hearing for 7 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott SeaWorld/Westover Hills, 11605 State Highway 151, according to TCEQ. The notice also appeared in the Texas Register, which explains how residents can file written comments and request accommodations if they plan to attend in person.
What Vantage is proposing
Public filings and industry listings place the project at Vantage’s Rogers Road campus at 5207 Rogers Road. The first building is listed at roughly 360,000 square feet across three stories with an estimated cost of about $157 million, according to Interconnection.fyi. The site appears on multiple industry trackers under the Vantage TX21 or TX2 labels, one of several large data facilities that are planned or under construction in the same West Side corridor.
Neighbors' concerns and the West Side buildout
Backers of the project point to quicker digital service and the prospect of more money flowing into the area. Critics counter that data centers can be loud and that a dense cluster of them can affect air people breathe, local electric demand and water supplies, concerns residents raised ahead of the hearing and reported by local outlets. WOAI noted that both supporters and opponents will get time at the microphone tonight. Industry trackers describe the Rogers Road hub as part of a growing group of hyperscale data centers that have already drawn scrutiny over environmental and water impacts, including questions about recharge zones highlighted by Centex Data Centers.
Permits, emissions and what officials will weigh
The draft operating permit (Application No. 38600, draft Permit No. O4790) and a TCEQ Statement of Basis list a field of diesel emergency generators at the site. The filing identifies 65 stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines and classifies the proposal as a Title V major source for nitrogen oxides, or NOx, which triggers a closer technical review by the agency. TCEQ’s Statement of Basis outlines the federal air standards and monitoring requirements Vantage would have to meet if the project moves ahead. After the hearing, the commission will sort through both spoken and written comments before deciding whether to revise the permit terms or issue the authorization as drafted.
