Hood County commissioners have cleared the way for Amazon Web Services to move ahead with Project Spectrum, a sprawling 21-building data center campus planned near the Comanche Peak nuclear plant. In a 3-0 vote last Tuesday, the commissioners court accepted a conditional plan after staff said the developer had satisfied earlier demands for studies on drainage, traffic, and water use.
The approval did not sit quietly with everyone in the packed courtroom. Some residents booed, shouted for more time to review the proposal, and warned that the project could transform rural stretches of the county while putting extra pressure on already stressed water and power systems.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Kevin Andrews made the motion to accept the submission and told his colleagues, “We have to follow the law.” County Judge Ron Massingill, who said his doctor had not cleared him to attend but returned to preside anyway, joined the 3-0 vote. Commissioners Nannette Samuelson and Dave Eagle were absent.
In January, the county had laid out a list of conditions for the site at 2300 Coates Road, including a drainage plan, traffic assessments, an endangered-species report, and detailed information on water use. Officials also received a letter from a Jackson Walker attorney instructing them to stop trying to regulate the project beyond their legal authority, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
The latest vote caps months of tense public meetings and failed pushes for a temporary halt on large industrial projects. As KERA reported, commissioners have repeatedly rejected moratorium proposals and instead voted to seek an opinion from the Texas Attorney General on whether Hood County can legally impose such a pause under state law and its special Subchapter K powers.
What Project Spectrum Would Look Like
Project Spectrum shows up in public filings and industry trackers as a multi-building AWS campus on undeveloped agricultural land outside Granbury. Listings describe the site as roughly 1,200–1,300 acres at 2300 Coates Road, with filings indicating the campus would seek significant grid-connected and behind-the-meter power capacity. The development is being followed as one of several large data center proposals in Hood County on project trackers such as PoweredByWho and DataCenterMap.
Neighbors Push Back
Residents and local activists have been sounding the alarm for months over water consumption, potential noise, and what they see as the creeping industrialization of rural areas. Some speakers at recent meetings have even called for resignations after earlier votes in favor of data center projects.
Coverage of those meetings has described overflowing hearing rooms and a steady stream of critics at the podium, many of them demanding more transparency around tax abatements and utility deals tied to Project Spectrum and similar projects, according to CBS News Texas.
Legal uncertainty is now threaded through nearly every step. County attorneys have warned that a wide-ranging moratorium could be ripe for challenge, and KERA reports that commissioners are seeking state guidance, including a formal opinion from the Attorney General, even as they try to lean on Subchapter K to shape development rules where they can.
For now, Amazon still has to submit a full site-development plan for county review, and any construction permits will hinge on the technical studies required under the January conditions. The Hood County Development Commission has also discussed holding a public hearing later in June on possible moratoriums or new rules that could affect Project Spectrum and any future campuses, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
