I don't have a dog in this hunt, being a Bryan resident, but the proposal as-is sure sounds like a disaster! I'm not opposed to data centers in general, if appropriate guardrails are in place (e.g. noise limits, making the developer/owner pay for infrastructure upgrades, etc.), and the city and its taxpayers are compensated appropriately, but that does not seem to be the case here.

Money is one thing, and an important one, but noise and electric/water infrastructure load are more pressing concerns. One interesting wrinkle is that if appropriate limits were in place, having a data center inside city limits would allow real enforcement of noise ordinances, but in rural areas it's the Wild West. From the Time article linked a couple pages back:

Quote:

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Technically there is federal mandate to regulate noise, which stems from the 1972 Noise Control Actbut it was essentially de-funded during the Reagan administration. This leaves noise regulation up to states, cities, and counties. New York City, for instance, has a noise code which officially caps restaurant music and air conditioning at 42 decibels (as measured within a nearby residence). Texas's 85 decibels, in contrast, is by far the loudest state limit in the nation, says Les Blomberg, the executive director of the nonprofit Noise Pollution Clearinghouse. "It is a level that protects noise polluters, not the noise polluted," he says.

Ultimately, Constable John Shirley can't stop the machines, because there is no state law forcing the operator of a noisy machine to turn it off. When Shirley writes a ticket for disorderly conduct, it merely triggers a $500 fine, as opposed to jail time or another punitive measure. Hood County can't even pass a relevant noise ordinance law: only Texas cities, not counties, have the ability to do so.

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(Emphasis added.) So under Texas law, a city can enforce noise ordinances, but counties cannot, thus outside city limits the only limit is 85 dB (which is quite loud!), and the penalty for exceeding that is $500 per day. Chump change!

MiMi said:

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2020 said:

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Hornbeck said:

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I'll preface this by saying, "We didn't start the fire....", meaning this is not my website.

But I was reached out to by this person, a concerned citizen, about the "data center".

https://nobitcoinmining.com/

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This is one well put together website. Straight facts.

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Great website that needs to be shared everywhere!

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I have disseminated it to my troops.

Thursday's City Council meeting is at 6:00...As of now, it is the last item on the agenda so be ready for a late night!

Can we all just say the obvious point here...

If this land were as valuable as COCS says it is... who else (if any) is intended on moving in in the near future?

The answer is most likely no one and the city is looking to just sell it all for the sake of cash to go spend else where.

$30m sounds like a lot but if what we being told is true about demand, then it could (should?) be worth a hell of a lot more.

Unless of course, the city has no other buyers and is stuck with this land because it is another failed government land deal they cannot admit to.

.... my leg is wet but it aint rain'in

To add to my shock. The terms of the due diligence and the nonrefundable portions of the contract are the smallest I have ever seen especially for a deal of this size. This property could be tied up for years for $1000.

Shared on all our socials

Partyof4 said:

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Thursday's City Council meeting is at 6:00...As of now, it is the last item on the agenda so be ready for a late night!

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I still want somebody to use their allotted two minutes to simply use a power tool or blast speaker at 85 decibels. That's it.

Someone should do this. Hands down.

For those that want to speak at council thursday you need to follow certain rules (from experience a few times this year already):
1. Sign up by noon. On the website they are misleading by saying 2 hours before the session. They mean it has to be before the closed door session and not the 6:00 open one. And any second beyond that time they will reject you.
2. Do not be confrontational. Use facts. Talk about impacts to you personally. They will have you removed if they don't like the tone in your voice.
3. Stay within your 3 minute allotment. They cut you off the microphone automatically.
4. They will talk down to you as if you don't know any better. Don't waste your allotted time to let them. Insist the 3 minutes is yours and then they can respond.
5. Prepare your talking points and bring them with you as hand outs to others!

I'm worried that we are fighting a losing battle. This wonderful town I've lived in over half my life is being run by greed and not to the benefit of "neighborhood integrity" they all claim at the forefront.

I'm replying to Yancy in hopes that he sees this and watches this video. Not that anyone here is really in favor of this garbage, but I would encourage people take the time to watch this video on the Data Center subject. If this is approved it will be a disaster for this community. Don't let the title affect watching, it's about this subject and worth the 16 minutes.

Craig Regan 14 said:

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Can we all just say the obvious point here...

If this land were as valuable as COCS says it is... who else (if any) is intended on moving in in the near future?

The answer is most likely no one and the city is looking to just sell it all for the sake of cash to go spend else where.

$30m sounds like a lot but if what we being told is true about demand, then it could (should?) be worth a hell of a lot more.

Unless of course, the city has no other buyers and is stuck with this land because it is another failed government land deal they cannot admit to.

.... my leg is wet but it aint rain'in

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*DING* *DING* *DING*

The "NIMBY's" were right on the drones. Council approved the Amazon project without ever seeing or hearing a drone is flight, and the location was idiotic. CS wanted to be "cool" with the latest tech, but failed to ask the right questions.
This one (data center) is basically a decent idea in a terrible location.

Craig Regan 14 said:

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Can we all just say the obvious point here...

If this land were as valuable as COCS says it is... who else (if any) is intended on moving in in the near future?

The answer is most likely no one and the city is looking to just sell it all for the sake of cash to go spend else where.

$30m sounds like a lot but if what we being told is true about demand, then it could (should?) be worth a hell of a lot more.

Unless of course, the city has no other buyers and is stuck with this land because it is another failed government land deal they cannot admit to.

.... my leg is wet but it aint rain'in

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That's prime real estate, there's no way this is the only option

TAMU1990 said:

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So this is the final vote? If they vote yes we end up with a bitcoin facility?

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YES

The mayor and others are saying that they can negotiate after. But it's the company's land at that point.

I get TEN (10) minutes...


....if you are representing 5 people you get 10 minutes to speak.

Omperlodge said:

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To add to my shock. The terms of the due diligence and the nonrefundable portions of the contract are the smallest I have ever seen especially for a deal of this size. This property could be tied up for years for $1000.

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I had to put a larger non-refundable deposit on the last car we ordered. And it was a whole lot less than $30 million. Reading those terms alone was enough to make me think this whole thing is either lining someone's pockets or truly the result of incompetence by amateur city staff.

What could possibly go wrong? I mean the government-industry partnerships in this area have always done so well. West corp, Macy's, what was that thing called in the 90's; technology valley…

The only ones benefiting from these boondoggles are the brokers, middlemen and silent partners covered by NDA's. Meanwhile the residents' services are shorted and the property owners's taxes get jacked year after year

Mr. Dubi said:

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What could possibly go wrong? I mean the government-industry partnerships in this area have always done so well. West corp, Macy's, what was that thing called in the 90's; technology valley…

The only ones benefiting from these boondoggles are the brokers, middlemen and silent partners covered by NDA's. Meanwhile the residents' services are shorted and the property owners's taxes get jacked year after year

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And we allow it to continue.

John Sharp is looking better and better after being reminded of all those boondoggles. Wow.
But let us not forget Chimney Hill.

Any relation to Charles Schwertner?

And I don't remember him playing for the Ags.

Of course, I don't recall a certain local moving company owner playing for the Ags, but he had it in all his ads for years that he was a letterman.

Just a note of appreciation to everyone here and Bob Yancy for the heads up and transparency. I think this is a fix, just like the hear empty (of customers, not cars) BMW/Mercedes, Hyundai, and CarMax lost that drain excess water into Bee Creek causing residential flooding in Emerald Forest.

We deliberately bought a house with the highest land on the block back in 2008. My wife and I were involved in the battles to nix a 6 lane highway through Emerald Forest and building a new Blinn site next to Lynntech. She did the lion's share of background and organization. Wishing all the best of luck Thursday!

dubi said:

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Hornbeck said:

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MsDoubleD81 said:

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So, any relation?

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?

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Is Brandon Schwertner related to Charles Schwertner.

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That's what we all want to know.