1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to request your help in opposing the BT Gateway Data Center Project, registered in unincorporated Royse City. A 100,000 square foot data center has been registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in unincorporated Royse City, Hunt County, near the Hunt/Collin County line. Located at 4989 CR 2656, just off Highway 66, this former farmland is slated to become a large-scale data center facility. This project would be BT's first data center in Texas and only their second in the United States, valued at $384,000,000 with a projected completion date of February 2027. My opposition is not to data centers as a whole, but to their placement near residential communities and schools. This proposed site sits within a few miles of two large master-planned communities and two elementary schools, and its impact does not stop at the county line. Verandah has 3,713 planned homes and an estimated 9,000 to 11,000 residents at full build-out, with Ruth Cherry Elementary located within the neighborhood itself. Nearby Creekside is home to the brand new Sara Moss Elementary, a 750-student campus located in Collin County. Facilities of this scale bring significant concerns including noise and light pollution, heavy truck traffic, strain on local water and electrical infrastructure, and potential environmental hazards that disproportionately impact the families and children who live and learn nearby. These facilities should be sited responsibly, away from densely populated areas, with full community input and environmental review before any permits are approved. I urge you to oppose this project and advocate for stronger regulations ensuring that data centers are not built in close proximity to the communities and children they would harm.