A farmer in Taylor, Texas donated 87 acres of land to the city council in 1999 on the condition that they build a park for children. He decided after seeing that the neighborhood kids had no safe space to run around during their playtime. The farmer, Mr. Bland was in his 70s at that time when he donated the land to the city council. However, fast-forward to 2026, the city council sold the land for $10 million, paving the way for data center developers to build their projects. What was intended to be made into a park will now become a hub for AI data centers.

The way for a 135,000-square-foot data center is being cleared, and it begins just 500 feet away from the home of a local woman who has been fighting to oppose the project for a year. Local news outlet 404 Media reported that the original sale deed from July 7, 1999, of 87.97 acres was made to build a park. The official record states that it was “held in trust for future use as parkland.” That trust transferred the land to the Williamson County Park Foundation in 2003. In the same year, that Foundation transferred the land to the City of Taylor.

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From $10 Gift For a Park to $10 Million Data Center Sale

The original sale deed is still on record but is being used and sold for a different purpose. The land parcel was sold to Taylor Economic Development Corporation to data center developer Blueprint for $10 million in 2025. The sale went from a $10 handshake gift to a serious $10 million transaction in 26 years. The City of Taylor had sold the land parcel to TEDC for $15,000 in 2008. This is why TEDC decided to pave the way for a data center to emerge in the location. Locals will now have to deal with AI data centers instead of a park.