Anslem Research wrote regarding massive data centers being developed:
Either the gods are being built in the Texas desert, or the greatest financial delusion in human history is unfolding in real time while sophisticated observers debate quarterly earnings.One of those desert data centers appears to be coming to San Angelo (on land just northeast of town). City leaders and elected officials attended a recent community meeting on the Skybox Data Center project. Three local sources wrote articles about the meeting, Concho Valley Homepage, Concho Observer and San Angelo Live.
Skybox is yet to purchase the land according to one story. Significant work has been done on this project by city staff and economic development professionals.
Assistant City Manager Michael Dane said he would not be surprised if the deadline to close (the land sale) under the agreement with Skybox does not have to be extended.Dane's last day of employment with the city is but a day away, January 2, 2026.
Based upon concept plan options, Westwood will document potential development paths needed to be performed with the jurisdiction(s) in order facilitate the concept plan. This may include annexation, zoning, MTP amendments, and other requests as defined by the jurisdiction(s).The City annexed the property the same day Council approved the letter of intent for the land sale. (Two local news stories showed other annexation time frames, "Summer 2025" and "recently." This post originally ran with Summer 2025 in text as well as the above graphic. These were corrected after I submitted a public information request on the annexation date. The item was included in the consent agenda for 3-4-25 with no discussion of the item.)
Skybox and the city are in the due diligence phase and a tax abatement request or agreement is yet to be shared. Concho Observer reported.
No tax breaks will be issued to the Skybox project, and the city is excited to potentially double its tax base, as Looney claims.
According to previous reports, the center would add around $7 billion of value to the City’s property tax roll. To put that into perspective, the current value in the entire city is around $7.9 Billion according to City Finance Director Tina Dierschke.
The City of San Angelo provided significant tax breaks to a private equity sponsored battery farm not far from the Skybox location. In time I expect a similar request for this project.
TechGods are weighing in directly and indirectly on the project. Concho Observer quoted an expert from a think tank (Foundation for American Innovation) regarding Skybox's plans. It's hard to believe anyone can assess the situation given what little information has been released to date. Also, the think tank's board is loaded with people from vested TechGod interests, Founders Fund (Peter Thiel), Patreon, & Paladin Capital.
Part of Skybox's due diligence is to get a clear financial picture of the project's viability. That includes an estimate of its local tax liability. Rest assured those discussions are underway and economic development staff are aware of the tax rate that would stifle development.
Skybox is not planning to be part of the greatest financial delusion in human history. That means subsidies from multiple sources, including the city. This will be a slow drip for the public to get the whole picture.
Update 1-4-26: People are skeptical of the promise of giant data centers in their communities.
Update 1-5-26: The City of San Angelo annexed the land it agreed to sell to Skybox Data Centers on 3-4-25, the same day Council approved the land sale. This information came from a public information request.
Update 1-10-26: San Angelo Live interviewed Mayor Thompson regarding the proposed data center. DataCenteryDynamics picked up the story regarding San Angelo's possible deal with Skybox.
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