Late last month, dozens of area residents lined up behind a mic on San Antonio’s far west side expressing outrage that a massive new data center was being constructed blocks away—before residents were even consulted. In the course of the meeting, they learned the facility with dozens of diesel generators and planned gas-fired power plant was actually already in operation. And, as Deceleration would later report, that the TCEQ approved Vantage Data Centers’s original air permit apparently on the same day it was submitted to the state.
One could forgive residents for believing the entire political apparatus is in the tank for AI data centers.
Wrote one of the hundreds commenters on one of Deceleration’s recent instagram posts about the facility (with an aerial survey of the site):
“The zoning in Texas is a joke. There needs to be zoning restructuring and an overhaul done because it is atrocious how buildings can be next to residential areas.”
Zoning is, in fact, one of the few tools cities have to control where data centers pop up.
While Council members displayed a range of opinions about data centers at a March 2026 meeting (from unease to full-bore boosterism), there appears to be no interest in advancing a local ban as recently passed San Marcos’s City Council. Rather, there is a slow-moving effort being made within the Office of Development Services to explore possible zoning changes that would distinguish data centers from other categories of users to help the city regulate where they may build.
If community pressure doesn’t force electeds and city staff to to take faster action, those recommendations will likely come back to Council for consideration in the fall.
This Thursday the office is hosting its second “Stakeholder Discussion Group” conversation on the subject. It’s unclear who the department invited to the table. But it is a public meeting, as the office’s public relations official confirmed for Deceleration, and residents to come participate.
“This is not a formal meeting, like a board meeting. … This is a group of stakeholders comprised some industry reps, engineering firms, staff, etc.,” wrote Ximena Copa-Wiggins.
Copa-Wiggins didn’t have an agenda to share but confirmed that the discussion is dedicated to data centers and utility usage.
Data Centers, Industrial Operations, and San Antonio
Stakeholder discussion group
- 1pm-4pm Thursday, June 25, 2026
Cliff Morton Development and Business Services Center
1901 S. Alamo St., San Antonio, TX 78204
Meeting is in the board room.
Additional meeting info from Development Services:
Please allow 10-15 additional minutes before scheduled meeting at the One Stop to check in.
- Due to new security measures, you will be required to pass through a metal detector and security wand.
- In addition, you will need to check in with our staff at the Meet and Greet Counter (first encounter with City staff downstairs).
Note that you may park in the lot adjacent to the building or the lot across the street at 1902 S. Alamo (usually this one has more capacity); for your safety, please use the crosswalk if parking at 1902 S. Alamo.
