LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — A new proposal tied to Project Tango — the hyperscale AI data center planned next to a residential community and a brand new elementary school in Palm Beach County — could bypass public comment and commissioner votes entirely, and residents say that is alarming.
Two companies own the 202-acre property where Project Tango has been proposed: PBA Holdings and TPA Group. Until recently, both had been working together toward a unified plan. Now, TPA Group has submitted its own separate proposal.
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TPA Group is seeking to modify the 60 acres it owns, converting 1.2 million square feet of warehouse space into 1.3 million square feet of data center space.
The original proposal by PBA Holdings is scheduled for a Palm Beach County Commission vote on July 15, where the future of the project will be decided. If approved, TPA Group's new proposal would go through an administrative hearing — meaning no public comment, no commissioner votes, and a quick approval behind the scenes.
Residents say the months of public outcry that pushed developers to reduce the size of the project and move the data center building to the farthest point from the nearby community of Arden may have been for nothing.
"It's a much larger beast. It's a little bit scary," Rachel Smith said.
"We don't get to fight it, we don't get to plead our case against it, which is just wrong. It's wrong for anybody in Palm Beach County," Smith said.
Neighbors are also raising concerns about what an administrative approval could mean beyond this project.
"The admin review is very, very concerning because the county commissioners won't be involved whatsoever, and it's one step, and if that's allowed, that essentially sets the precedent that any warehouse in Palm Beach County will avail, will be available to be a data center," Ben Brown said.
I have reached out to both property owners for more information on the proposals and how this could affect the commissioner's vote on the future of the project in July. I am still working on a response.
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