ENID, OK — After nearly six and a half hours of presentations, public comments, questions and debate Monday night, the Enid Metropolitan Area Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of three rezoning items connected to the proposed Project Thunderbird data center development.
The votes do not approve Project Thunderbird or authorize construction of a data center. The MAPC serves in an advisory role on zoning matters, and its recommendations now move to the Mayor and Board of Commissioners. The Enid City Commission is scheduled to hold its own public hearing and consider the rezoning requests on Tuesday, October 6, at 6:30 p.m.
Monday's special meeting drew a large crowd to City Hall, filling Council Chambers and leaving an overflow crowd in the hallway and outside the building. Some opponents complained that there were not enough seats available and said people outside could not hear portions of the proceedings.
Questions also were raised during the meeting about Oklahoma's Open Meeting Act and whether the meeting arrangements and public notice complied with the law. City representatives addressed those concerns during the meeting and said the City had followed the required open-meeting procedures. That was the City's position at the meeting, not an independent legal determination.
The atmosphere remained passionate throughout the lengthy hearing. Supporters and opponents both applauded speakers at different points in the evening.
Several residents opposing the rezoning spoke about their connection to the affected area, with some saying their families had lived on nearby land for multiple generations. Concerns raised included the conversion of agricultural property to industrial zoning, noise, water and power demands, effects on nearby homes and farms, infrastructure and the long-term consequences of industrial development.
Representatives of Plainsmen Holdings, LLC, including Chad Dillingham and Jason Singer, presented information about Project Thunderbird and answered questions from MAPC members. Plainsmen Holdings was formed by Enid natives Dillingham, Singer, Aaron Singer and Troy Phillips. The company announced Project Thunderbird earlier this month as a proposed multi-campus data center and power infrastructure development.
The larger proposal envisions four campuses totaling approximately 1,735 acres. According to Plainsmen Holdings, those include a 560-acre North Campus, 400-acre East Campus, 305-acre West Campus and 470-acre South Campus. The concept also calls for private natural-gas power generation, raw water from Enid's Kaw Lake pipeline and closed-loop cooling. Those figures and design details remain part of the developer's proposal and are not final approved specifications.
Monday night's rezoning discussion focused on land associated with the proposed North and West campuses. The three relevant agenda items — Items 9, 11 and 13 — sought recommendations involving changes from “A” Agriculture zoning to industrial classifications including “I-2” Industrial (Light) and “I-3” Industrial (Heavy).
How the three votes went
Item 9 passed 7-1, with Angie Blevins, Derwin Norwood Jr., Cole Ream, Don Roberts, Michael O'Brien, David Henneke and Clarence Maly voting yes. Marvin Kusik voted no. Items 11 and 13 each passed 6-2, with Blevins, Norwood, Ream, Roberts, O'Brien and Maly voting yes and Kusik and Henneke voting no. The vote displays showed no votes recorded for Walker Henson, David Trojan or Greg Haub on the three items.
Despite the favorable MAPC recommendations, one of the most important points made throughout the meeting was that Project Thunderbird is still in the early stages of the approval process.
The City of Enid specifically states that the current zoning requests do not authorize construction or operation of a data center, power-generation facility or related infrastructure. Even if the City Commission approves the zoning changes on October 6, the zoning decision alone would not authorize Project Thunderbird to proceed with construction.
Enid's recently adopted rules require a separate Intensive Use Review for a data center. That process can require detailed information and studies addressing issues such as water, electricity, traffic, environmental considerations, nuisances and other infrastructure impacts, followed by additional public review and governmental action.
Singer and Dillingham have previously described rezoning as only the first step. Singer said earlier this month that rezoning would essentially give the group an opportunity to conduct the surveys and studies necessary to return to the City with a much more detailed plan.
During Monday's discussion, Plainsmen representatives also argued that keeping the project in the hands of local developers and within the City's regulatory process would give Enid greater influence over how a future data center is developed. Their position is that another developer could potentially pursue development on county property outside the City's jurisdiction, where Enid would have less control and potentially receive fewer direct benefits. That argument represents the developers' position and remains part of the broader community debate.
Supporters have emphasized potential jobs, infrastructure investment, additional tax revenue and possible benefits to local schools, government services and Vance Air Force Base. Plainsmen Holdings also proposes a privately funded power system intended to reduce reliance on the existing electric grid. Those economic and infrastructure benefits are projections and commitments being advanced by the project team and have not yet been established through a completed project or final agreements.
Opponents, meanwhile, continue to question whether the potential economic benefits outweigh the effects of changing agricultural land to industrial use and the possible impacts on nearby residents, farms, water resources, traffic, noise and the character of the surrounding area.
For now, Monday night's action means only that the three rezoning recommendations have cleared the MAPC stage.
The next major decision comes October 6, when the Mayor and Board of Commissioners will conduct another public hearing and decide whether to approve or deny the zoning changes. Even an approval at that meeting would not constitute final approval of Project Thunderbird itself.
