San Marcos denied the land-use change a data-center project needed
After public organizing and a council hearing, a 5–2 vote denied the plan amendment for a roughly 199-acre site. The city says the accompanying zoning change could not proceed without it.
The short version
- Council denied the Preferred Scenario Map amendment by 5–2 at its February 17 meeting.
- Save Our Springs publicly promoted a town hall, petition and contacts with officials; the city's record establishes the decision itself.
Why it matters. The obstacle was a specific prerequisite in the land-use process, not a citywide ban on data centers.
The vote stopped a required step
The proposed data center needed a change to San Marcos’s land-use plan before its zoning application could advance. At the February 17, 2026 meeting, council denied that change by 5–2. The city’s recap says the zoning item was therefore not heard.
Organizing preceded the decision
The February 11 Save Our Springs bulletin advertised a town hall, a petition seeking a halt to local data-center approvals, and a Data Center Action Coalition campaign contacting utility and city decision-makers. Its stated concerns centered on water and land use.
KUT’s on-the-scene reporting describes hundreds attending and a vote in the early hours of February 18.
The proposal hit a barrier before its zoning change could even be heard. It was a decision about this roughly 199-acre site—not a citywide ban—but it stopped this application from advancing as proposed.
A dated record
- February 11, 2026
Save Our Springs publishes organizing plans ahead of the hearing.
Save Our Springs Alliance · source ↓ - February 17–18, 2026
The council meeting ends with the required plan amendment denied.
City of San Marcos · source ↓KUT 90.5 / Leigh Walden · source ↓
The supporting record
Council denied the amendment for 199.49 acres on Francis Harris Lane; the associated zoning change was not heard because the prerequisite failed.
Save Our Springs' February 11 bulletin promoted a town hall and a Data Center Action Coalition pressure campaign directed at utility and city officials.
KUT reported substantial public turnout and the council's early-morning vote after the hearing.
What we do not yet know
- Whether a revised proposal will return or the site will be developed for another use.
- How much each organization or individual contributed to the vote; participation alone does not quantify persuasion.
Original documents, with context
Sources you can inspect
1. Official council recap · City of San Marcos
San Marcos council: plan amendment denied, zoning item not heard
The denial is of a required plan amendment for one tract. The accompanying zoning item was not heard; this was not a citywide data-center ban.
Publication: 2026-02-17 meeting · Checked: 2026-09-07
Source record: san-marcos-february-decision
Location in source: Items 8 and 9: Preferred Scenario Map amendment and ZC-25-132. First-party organizing bulletin · Save Our Springs Alliance
Save Our Springs: organizing before the San Marcos data-center hearing
Documents the organization's stated activities and concerns. Its environmental claims and predicted future meeting schedule are not independently established by this bulletin.
Publication: 2026-02-11 · Checked: 2026-09-07
Source record: sos-february-organizing
Location in source: Data-center town hall; Other Ways to Join the Fight; What Happens Next3. Reported hearing coverage · KUT 90.5 / Leigh Walden
San Marcos hearing and land-use vote
On-the-scene reporting supplies hearing context; the official city recap establishes the exact action taken.
Publication: 2026-02-18 · Checked: 2026-09-07
Source record: kut-san-marcos-hearing
Location in source: Opening account of the vote, turnout and public comments
Corrections & additional evidence · support@aipublicopinion.com
