Lubbock City Council Approves Industrial Rezoning Amid Data Center Fears

The Lubbock City Council approved the annexation of an 8-acre tract and the industrial rezoning of 52 acres on Tuesday. The council acted on a request from the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA), sparking confrontations with local residents who believe the rezoning will enable the construction of a hyperscale AI data center by connecting industrial sites to city utilities.

LEDA President John Osborne denied that the specific parcels were intended for data centers, arguing the land is better suited for manufacturers. However, reports surfaced of a separate partnership between LEDA and Corvalol called Project Infrared, which involves plans for a 50,000-square-foot inference data center in East Lubbock. Osborne maintains that Project Infrared is unrelated to the recent zoning votes.

In response to the council's decision, community activists are organizing a petition with nearly 2,500 signatures to force a vote on an 18-month data center moratorium for the November ballot. Mayor Mark McBrayer indicated that the council would not favor such a moratorium, while resident Stephen Sanders warned that the community would seek recalls if data centers are approved.