<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2zgkDR_1GnzbSpD00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2zgkDR_1GnzbSpD00" width="618" height="332" ></figure>GRAHAM – After nearly four hours of public testimony, negotiations and painstaking revisions, the Graham City Council voted unanimously Oct. 29 to approve a 30-year development agreement with Headwaters Site Development, clearing a major hurdle for the multibillion-dollar data center planned for Young County.The council worked through roughly three dozen proposed changes to the agreement, negotiating with representatives of Headwaters and Stream Data Centers over financial payments, water and wastewater services, noise restrictions, traffic, environmental protections and the city’s authority to enforce the terms.The agreement will allow Graham to provide reclaimed water and wastewater services to the data center in exchange for infrastructure payments and other commitments intended to protect residents from the effects of the massive development. The agreement also provides for the data center property to remain outside Graham’s city limits for 30 years.The vote followed months of negotiations and a public discussion that brought together residents worried about water supplies, property values and traffic, as well as business owners eager to participate in what could become one of the largest economic development projects in Young County’s history.Olney Mayor Rue Rogers appeared before the council to support the agreement while urging Graham officials to consider the project’s effects beyond the city limits.“We have a direct stake in this project as well,” Mayor Rogers said, noting that an estimated 2,000 construction workers will live, shop, travel and seek medical care throughout Young County.He warned that Olney’s hospital district, schools, roads and public safety agencies would share both the benefits and burdens of the development.With the county’s tax abatement negotiations having end- ed, Mayor Rogers said Graham’s agreement represented one of the few remaining opportunities to secure commitments from the developer.He asked that workforce housing plans, construction schedules, projected employment figures and traffic information be shared with Olney, Newcastle and other affected communities. He also urged coordination on road maintenance and public safety funding.“We see real opportunity in this project for the county, including the new tax revenue for our hospital district and our local merchants,” Mr. Rogers said. “The City of Olney ... would welcome the chance ot work with the City of Graham, with the county, with the developer on a coordinated plan for housing and roads and public safety.”Throughout the evening, council members scrutinized proposed changes to the agreement, sometimes rejecting the developer’s language, sometimes negotiating compromises and frequently asking City Attorney Matt Murray to clarify how provisions would work.Among the subjects discussed were the timing of infrastructure payments, verification of building sizes, restrictions on noise, the use of reclaimed water, road restoration, emergency services, and the future of the property after the data center ceases operating.The agreement establishes a 65-decibel noise limit at affected property boundaries, restrictions on the use of city-supplied drinking water for cooling, and provisions addressing construction traffic and road damage. The council also examined how compliance would be verified and how complaints from neighboring property owners would be handled. The agreement must still be incorporated into a final document by attorneys for the city and Headwaters and executed by the developer. City Manager Eric Garretty said the completed document would become public once finalized.Following the vote, Headwaters representative Matt Long said the company intends to continue negotiating with Young County on a separate development agreement, even though the proposed county tax abatement has been abandoned.“We removed the tax abatement piece, but we still want to progress a development agreement,” Mr. Long said.He said the company also intends to work with Olney and Newcastle on issues affecting their communities, including plans to accommodate the construction workforce.Headwaters Chief Development Officer Oisin Ó Murchú said the project remains subject to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approvals before construction can proceed. He described development as effectively paused until the necessary approvals are obtained.The developer has identified a tenant for the data center but has not disclosed its identity. Mr. Ó Murchú said the decision whether to reveal the tenant’s name rests with the tenant itself.Graham Mayor Alex Heartfield said the agreement was the product of difficult compromises intended to protect residents while allowing the city to benefit from the development.“There’s no perfect agreement,” Mr. Heartfield said after the meeting. “I feel like we did the best that we could to get as much for the city of Graham that we could get.”He said revenue from the agreement is intended for capital improvements rather than recurring expenses because the payments will eventually end.</div></body>

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GRAHAM – After nearly four hours of public testimony, negotiations and painstaking revisions, the Graham City Council voted unanimously Oct. 29 to approve a 30-year development agreement with Headwaters Site Development, clearing a major hurdle for the multibillion-dollar data center planned for Young County. The council worked through roughly...

Graham Crafts Agreement with Data Center Developer

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GRAHAM – After nearly four hours of public testimony, negotiations and painstaking revisions, the Graham City Council voted unanimously Oct. 29 to approve 

Graham Crafts Agreement with Data Center Developer

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