Texas Judge Denies Injunction Against $10 Million Taylor Data Center on 88 Acres of Donated Parkland
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 9
Texas Judge Denies Injunction Against $10 Million Taylor Data Center on 88 Acres of Donated Parkland
3 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Jun 9
Summary
A Texas judge refused to halt construction of Blueprint’s 135,000-square-foot data center in Taylor while residents appeal, after already allowing the company’s motion to dismiss their initial suit.
The challenge centers on nearly 88 acres donated in 1999 for $10 with deed language requiring it be held in trust for future parkland use in Williamson County.
Taylor later transferred the land through local entities, with the city selling it for $15,000 in 2008 and the Taylor Economic Development Corporation selling it to Blueprint for $10 million last year.
City officials say existing Employment Center zoning lets Blueprint build without further city approval and estimate the project will generate $30 million in tax revenue over the next decade.
Resident Pamela Griffin and her family have hired a lawyer to keep fighting in the Third Court of Appeals, arguing that weakening deed restrictions would threaten property rights beyond this project.
How can a decades-old park deed legally challenge a $10 million data center deal the city calls 'done'?
Does a donor's intent for a park outweigh $30 million in tax revenue when a city needs to grow?
From Parkland to Data Center: The 87-Acre Legal and Community Battle Shaping Taylor, Texas’s Future
Overview
As of June 2026, Taylor, Texas is facing an ongoing legal and community battle over a data center development. The dispute centers on the controversial sale of land originally granted for public use, which was sold by the Taylor Economic Development Corporation in April 2025 for $10 million—a massive markup from its previous price. This sale enabled the construction of a large data center, but the land’s complex history of transfers and the lack of updated municipal regulations have fueled community opposition and legal challenges, highlighting tensions between economic development and public trust.