Sand Springs Planning Commission Advances Google Data Center Proposal
The developer of a proposed data center in Sand Springs cleared another key hurdle this week after the city’s Planning Commission approved a rezoning request tied to the project.
The Google hyperscale data center proposal now heads to the Sand Springs City Council, which is expected to take up the issue during its February 3 meeting. The council’s vote would represent the final local approval required for the project.
The Planning Commission approved the rezoning request on a 6–1 vote during a special meeting held in a packed high school cafeteria. The Project Spring site encompasses roughly 826 acres along Highway 97 north of Sand Springs. The property was annexed into the city in 2025 and is currently zoned for agricultural use. The approved change would reclassify the land as light industrial.
Residents Voice Concerns Over Energy and Water Impacts
A majority of those who attended the meeting urged commissioners to reject the rezoning, citing concerns about energy use, water consumption, and the long-term impacts of a large-scale data center operating near residential areas.
Representatives for Google and White Rose Partners, the Dallas-based data center developer behind Project Spring, said those concerns had been addressed. White Rose Partners, working alongside SLS Consultants, told commissioners the project would not increase utility costs for nearby residents and would operate independently of surrounding neighborhoods.
“These data centers do have significant economic benefits and real impacts, not just at the data center for those employees or for Google, but for the broader regional economy here,” said Kate Franko, a public affairs specialist for Google data centers, during her presentation to the commission.
The development team said construction could begin as early as 2027 if final approvals are granted.
Organized Opposition Remains
Opposition to the project has coalesced under the Project Sand Springs Alliance, led by President Kyle Schmidt. He told commissioners that many residents were only recently exposed to the realities of large-scale data centers.
“Most of us learned everything that we know about data centers last November,” Schmidt said. “We had heard the term thrown around at Pryor campus and so we kind of knew, but we didn’t know the impact or how big it would really be, the kind of energy consumption it would have, or the potential water impact.”
Schmidt added that residents were forced to quickly educate themselves once the proposal emerged locally, raising questions about whether the community had adequate time to evaluate the long-term implications.
Next Decision Rests With City Council
With the Planning Commission’s recommendation now in place, the Sand Springs City Council will make the final determination on whether the rezoning — and the Google-linked data center project — can move forward.
Source: KJRH TV News
Source: Fox 23 News