Data Center Information Absent from COSA Stocking

On 12-8-25 I submitted the following public information request (PIR) to the City of San Angelo:

Please provide documents, communications, emails and texts relative to the City of San Angelo's economic development arrangement with Skybox Data Centers or whichever legal entity is developing the data center on former city land within the City Farm area, just outside city limits to the northeast of town. This information could include a projected timeline, the city's plans to annex the land or develop a special arrangement where the city provides services (police, fire, water, etc.) to an entity not within city limits, specific financial or tax incentives, and any other inducements, monetary or in-kind services. The Development Corporation website mentions the project with its statement: "Facilitated data center site development tied to renewable energy access." My request is relative to this specific City of San Angelo effort.

The city's reply was a letter to the Texas Attorney General requesting to withhold the requested information for a number of reasons which include:

1.  Attorney-Client Privilege

2.  Confidentiality of Certain Economic Development Information

3.  Third Party Vendors Implicated in Request 

4.  Information Requested Involves Privacy or Property Interests of a Third Party

5.  Confidentiality of Trade Secrets and Certain Commercial or Financial Information

Vice President of Economic Development for the Chamber of Commerce Michael Looney released a podcast on data center development on 12-15-25.  (One week after my request)

Mayor Tom Thompson spoke with Concho Valley Homepage about data center development on 12-22-25.  (Two weeks after my PIR.)

He said most information about data center development has "been inaccurate."  Yet, the City of San Angelo is steamrolling efforts to get accurate information.  

The City has a requirement for third party vendors to comply with public information law.  It's in their standard contract language.  

Michael Looney said in his recent podcast that private equity is very interested in San Angelo and that our community could be like Austin in the 1980's.  He didn't say that private equity is loathe to share the most basic information, be it the name of the contracting entity, who is involved in the project and standard financial information.  

We'll see what comes before the Development Corporation or City Council regarding data center development, if anything.   Big money behind such projects is very secretive.

Update 12-29-25:  

Council Member Patrick Keely will hold a Data Center Development Community Meeting on Monday, December 29, 2025 from 5:30-6:30 pm at the Downtown Library in the Brooks & Bates Room. The subject is the proposed Skybox Data Center on Highway 67 just north of city limits. Council approved the sale of 350 acres of city owned land to Skybox in March 2025. 

Issues are noise pollution, water use, appropriate zoning, need for city services while residing outside city limits, traffic safety and electrical power use for the proposed 1.5 million square foot development distributed across six buildings (each of which is four stories high). 

A flyer for this public meeting states the item will be voted on at Council's next meeting on January 13, 2026.

ConchoValleyHomepage ran a story on the community meeting.  It indicates Skybox is yet to purchase the land for any data center development.   

Update 12-30-25:  Concho Valley Homepage reported on the meeting.  Concho Observer also ran a piece on the meeting.

Update 1-5-26:  The City of San Angelo annexed the land is 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.  The item was approved as part of the consent agenda and not discussed during the meeting.