This executive summary distills a 2-page data sheet and a 1-page comparison table that follow. The data sheet documents the site (parcels, ownership, taxes), the fiscal scenario, water/power/noise/light impact, and adjacent-property baseline. The comparison table places this project alongside the Fermi/Pantex announced megaproject and against representative operating Texas hyperscale facilities.
| Current owner | Parcels | Acres | Appraised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Mountain Power LLC (sole owner; 501 Pearson Ranch Rd) | 14 | 2,082 | ~$52M |
| Oncor Electric Delivery (adjacent transmission corridor, not part of assembly) | 1 | 86 | — |
Acquisition timeline: Black Mountain Power LLC assembled the 2,082-acre site through purchases from prior landowners during 2025–2026. First parcel transfer was the 172.8-acre core tract (R000041082) from Black Mountain Land Company LP on June 3, 2025. The remaining ~1,900 acres were acquired from the prior Knox family interests (Knox Jack Dill, Knox Ranch LLC) and Helm No. 1 Family LP through subsequent transfers concluded during 2025–2026. The Parker CAD ownership records lag the transfer dates; the current single-owner status is confirmed by Black Mountain's own statements and the Parker CAD's May 15, 2026 ag-strip notice issued to Black Mountain Power LLC.
Ag exemption stripped Nov 2025 — the 2,082 acres now generate ~$900K/yr on full market value (vs. ~$2,000/yr previously). One-time $2M ag rollback being collected. Once improvements begin, full market + improvement value becomes taxable; FSP absorbs most ISD M&O, all other entities retain full share.
| Taxing entity | Rate/$100 | Per $1B improvement | Net retained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weatherford ISD (M&O) | ~$0.85 | $8.5M | Mostly offset by FSP / recapture → near $0 |
| Weatherford ISD (I&S debt) | ~$0.24 | $2.4M | Fully retained |
| Parker County | ~$0.26 | $2.6M | Fully retained |
| Weatherford College | ~$0.11 | $1.1M | Fully retained |
| Hospital District | ~$0.09 | $0.9M | Fully retained |
| ESD 3 + Lateral Roads | ~$0.17 | $1.7M | Fully retained |
| Annual local revenue estimate | — | $17.2M gross | ~$8–10M net after FSP |
Site sits on the Lake Weatherford watershed — sole municipal source for the City of Weatherford. Demand at 75 MW depends entirely on cooling technology.
| Cooling tech (75 MW) | Million gal/day | vs. City of Weatherford daily use (~4.8 MGD) |
|---|---|---|
| Air-cooled (high-efficiency) | 0.2–0.5 | 5–10% of City |
| Closed-loop evaporative | 1.4–4.3 | 30–90% of City |
| Water-cooled (open evaporative) | 7.2–14.4 | 150–300% of entire City use |
| City of Weatherford municipal demand | ~4.8 | Lake Weatherford firm yield ~5,300 ac-ft/yr |
5 simple-cycle gas turbines (15 MW each = 75 MW total). TCEQ permit framed "backup/bridge power" — Black Mountain's parent group holds turbine permits in Tarrant, Jack, Somervell counties (some explicitly "power for sale"). Bridge could last 1–3 years given ERCOT queue is 800+ deep.
| 5 × 15 MW gas turbines @ 80% capacity | Annual |
|---|---|
| Natural gas consumption | 5.5 Bcf (~$20M/yr at $4/Mcf) |
| CO₂ emissions | ~322,000 tons (≈ 70,000 cars) |
| NOx — with SCR (low) / without SCR (high) | ~33 tons / ~275 tons |
| Net power output @ 80% CF | ~525 GWh/yr (75 MW continuous) |
443 residential parcels in immediate survey/abstract neighborhood. Industry research on DC proximity: -5% to -15% within 1 mile. Track 3–5 yrs for actual impact.
| Neighborhood (same survey/abstract) | Parcels | Avg value | Total at risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential single-family (A1) | 443 | $412,210 | $182.6M |
| Improved rural (E1) | 3 | $222,213 | $0.7M |
| Commercial/industrial (F1) | 1 | $665,820 | $0.7M |
| Total adjacent value (2024 baseline) | 447 | — | $184.0M |
At -5% impact: $9.2M value loss. At -15%: $27.6M. Plus $1.5B equine development already reported jeopardized.
Parker is in DFW 8-hour ozone non-attainment. NOx is a precursor. Two BACT scenarios bracket the realistic range.
| Annual pollutant | With SCR (low) | No SCR (high) | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOx (tons) | ~33 | ~275 | PSD major source threshold: 250 tons/yr |
| CO (tons) | ~66 | ~66 | NSR minor threshold: 100 tons/yr |
| CO₂ (tons) | ~322,000 | ~322,000 | ≈ 70,000 cars/year |
| PM2.5 (tons) | ~14 | ~28 | Respiratory health impact |
| VOC (tons) | ~7 | ~7 | Ozone precursor |
80% capacity factor (continuous "bridge"), 10,500 BTU/kWh heat rate. Permit BACT determines which column applies.
| Lake Weatherford | Value |
|---|---|
| Conservation pool storage / firm yield | 19,470 ac-ft / ~5,300 ac-ft/yr ≈ 4.7 MGD |
| Surface area / drainage | 1,158 acres / 110 sq mi |
| Owner / right holder / backup source | City of Weatherford / Lake Worth (Fort Worth Water) purchases |
| Groundwater jurisdiction | Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District |
Three water-source scenarios: (1) Trinity Aquifer wells — Upper Trinity GCD permits; 14 MGD = 15,700 ac-ft/yr (unprecedented vs. typical 100–1,000 ac-ft). (2) Surface intake from Lake Weatherford — City declined to host the project; water sale agreement politically difficult. (3) Brazos River Authority pipeline — doesn't compete with municipal supply but expensive and slow.
Parker County has no noise ordinance for unincorporated areas. -6 dB per doubling of distance.
| Source | At 100 ft | At 1/4 mile | At 1 mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas turbine (with enclosure) | 85 dBA | 61 dBA | 49 dBA |
| Cooling fans (large array) | 80 dBA | 56 dBA | 44 dBA |
| Transformers (substation) | 70 dBA | 46 dBA | 34 dBA |
| Combined facility (low-freq hum) | 90 dBA | 66 dBA | 54 dBA |
| EPA "quiet rural" night ambient | — | 35–40 | 35–40 |
WHO night noise guideline for sleep disturbance: 45 dBA outside bedroom window. Low-frequency hum penetrates walls more readily. Audible 1.5+ miles in quiet rural conditions.
Parker County area is Bortle Class 4. No outdoor lighting ordinance in unincorporated Parker.
| Impact | Distance affected | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Direct light trespass | 0.5–1 mile | Lighting visible from residential windows |
| Sky glow dome | 3–7 miles | Orange-white sky dome under clear conditions |
| Bortle scale degradation | 2 miles | Class 4 → 5; Milky Way no longer easily visible |
| Wildlife disruption | 1–2 miles | Migratory bird disorientation, nocturnal foraging |
| Construction phase (24/7) | 2–3 years | More intense than ops; aircraft warning + crane lighting |
| Dimension | Pearson Ranch (proposed) | Fermi/Pantex "Project Matador" | Switch Tomball / DFW operating peers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Land assembled June 2025; TCEQ permit only; no public tenant | Announced 2025 with TX Tech System partner; phased build 2026–2038 | Operating since 2020–2023 across multiple sites |
| Land area | 2,082 acres / 14 parcels | 5,769 acres adjacent to Pantex Plant | 30–500 acres per facility |
| Power scale | 75 MW gas turbines (bridge); ultimate undisclosed | Up to 11 GW full build; Phase 1 = 1.1 GW by end 2026 | 50–500 MW per facility, ERCOT-interconnected |
| Power source | 5 simple-cycle gas turbines; no ERCOT interconnect plan disclosed | Nuclear (4 reactors + SMRs), combined-cycle gas, solar, battery | ERCOT grid + UPS + diesel backup standard |
| IT capacity | Hyperscale-sized footprint; specific MW IT undisclosed | 18 million sq ft AI capacity | 100K–2M sq ft per site |
| Tenant disclosure | None — speculative build | Texas Tech research partner; AI tenant(s) implied not confirmed | Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Google, AT&T — disclosed leases |
| Developer | Black Mountain Power LLC (founded 2024; oil/gas + lithium + DC) | Fermi America (former Gov. Rick Perry co-founder) | Switch, Digital Realty, CyrusOne, QTS, Apple — established |
| Water source | Undisclosed; site on Lake Weatherford watershed | Ogallala Aquifer (already overdrawn) per news reporting | Municipal water + closed-loop, with capacity agreements |
| Water demand | 0.2–14.4 MGD (cooling-dependent) | Multi-GW scale = 50–200 MGD potential | 1–10 MGD typical operating |
| Tax abatement | None (Parker County commitment) | State + local incentives; Texas Tech revenue sharing | Chapter 313 / now TJETIA appraisal limitations common |
| Local annual taxes (full build) | ~$17M gross / $8–10M net after FSP | Hundreds of millions, scaled with phases | $5–30M per facility per year |
| Permanent jobs | 30–60 typical hyperscale; not disclosed | Hundreds at full build per company | 30–80 per facility (ops); R&D adds more |
| Construction jobs | 1,000+ for 2–3 yrs (industry typical) | Thousands across the campus build | 500–2,000 per facility |
| Permitting / zoning | Unincorporated, no county zoning; only TCEQ air permit | State partnership, multiple coordinated permits | City-zoned industrial parks, design review, water agreements |
| Public engagement | Town hall driven by residents; no formal disclosure process | State Tribune coverage, county updates, university press | Pre-construction outreach, water/power disclosure, CBA |
1. Disclosure profile is closest to Fermi/Pantex, not to operating facilities. Both are speculative builds where the developer is not the operator. Fermi has a state-level university partner that adds some public accountability; Pearson Ranch has only Parker County and private LLCs, with no formal disclosure obligation in an unincorporated area.
2. Self-generation by gas is the defining pattern of the speculative tier. Both Pearson Ranch (75 MW on-site gas) and Fermi (combined-cycle gas early phases) bypass the 5–7 year ERCOT queue by self-generating. Operating facilities use ERCOT and don't run on-site fossil generation. "Bridge power" means continuous 24/7 gas operation while waiting for grid interconnect — can last years.
3. Water risk is the same pattern as Fermi/Pantex — hyperscale demand on a stressed source. Fermi targets the Ogallala (already in long-term decline). Pearson Ranch targets the Lake Weatherford watershed and/or Trinity Aquifer (smaller, more sensitive, sole municipal source). Operating facilities use city water systems with built-in capacity agreements; speculative-tier facilities don't have those agreements, which is why water is the central question for Parker residents.
An operating Texas hyperscale (Switch, Digital Realty, Apple Round Rock) has documented answers to all eight before construction begins. Speculative-tier proposals (Pearson Ranch, Fermi Phase 1) have none of them.
Texas's state-mandated K-12 finance system. Every ISD has a state-guaranteed per-student "entitlement." Local M&O property tax revenue is offset against that guarantee dollar-for-dollar: Net state aid = max(0, Entitlement − Local M&O revenue) Districts that raise more than their entitlement allows pay recapture to the state for redistribution to property-poor districts. Weatherford ISD is in or near recapture. Consequence for the data center: $8.5M in new M&O taxes per $1B improvement does not grow the ISD budget — it reduces state aid (or pays recapture). Only the I&S debt-service portion (~$2.4M on same $1B) is retained. All non-ISD taxing entities (County, College, Hospital, ESD, LR) have no equalization — they retain 100% of new revenue.