Taylor, Texas – A 58‑year‑old retired learning‑center director is spearheading a community effort to protect a parcel of land that was once promised to become a public park for local families. Pamela Griffin, a lifelong Taylor resident, says the land, located about 25 miles outside Austin, is slated to host a massive data center despite a 1999 deed that called for the property to be held in trust for future park use.
Deed language and a series of sales
The story begins with an 87‑acre tract sold by the Bland family in 1999 to the Texas Parks and Recreation Foundation for $10. The deed included a clause stating the land was “to be held in trust for future use as a parkland by Williamson County.” Over the next two decades the parcel changed hands several times – a Williamson‑county nonprofit, the City of Taylor, and the city’s Economic Development Corporation – each sale omitting the original park‑use language.
In 2025 the remaining acreage was sold to Blueprint Data Centers’ parent company for $10 million. Blueprint plans to build a 135,000‑square‑foot facility less than a half‑mile from Griffin’s home. The project would join more than 2,000 data centers currently in planning stages across the United States, according to tracking firm Cleanview.
Community concerns
Neighbors in the roughly 18,000‑person town have voiced worries about noise, water consumption, and potential power shortages that a large data center could create. The site sits on the city’s south side, sandwiched between existing high‑tech developments such as a Samsung semiconductor fab on the north side and a proposed 665‑acre “Project Mustang” data center outside city limits.
Griffin, whose family bought the land after the Fair Housing Act opened home‑ownership opportunities for Black families, recalls playing in the empty lot as a child. “My daddy passed this land down to us and he told us to guard this land. He said this will always be a homestead,” she said.
Legal battle and state involvement
Griffin’s complaint is now before a Texas appeals court, seeking an injunction to halt the data center project. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into whether the original deed language still carries legal weight after the subsequent sales.
The City of Taylor says it was unaware of the Bland family’s park intentions when it acquired the property in 2003, and that no legally enforceable deed restriction was placed on the land. Without such a restriction, the donor’s wishes did not automatically transfer with the deed, according to a city spokesperson.
What’s at stake?
If the data center proceeds, the city could see increased tax revenue and job creation tied to the growing tech and AI infrastructure boom in Central Texas. However, residents fear the loss of a promised green space that would serve generations of children, especially in a community that historically lacked adequate recreational facilities.
Local activists are attending city council meetings, gathering signatures, and urging officials to reconsider the sale or impose protective measures. They argue that preserving the park aligns with the community’s heritage and the original intent of the Bland family, who recognized the need for public recreation in the mid‑20th century.
Next steps
The appeals court’s decision could set a precedent for how historic deed language is treated in future development disputes across Texas. In the meantime, Griffin and her supporters continue to organize, hoping that the promise of a park will be honored rather than replaced by a hub for cloud storage and artificial‑intelligence processing.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
