The land left Uhland’s ETJ.
The project did not suddenly become final.
Nearly 900 acres tied to a proposed PowerHouse data center were released from Uhland’s extraterritorial jurisdiction on September 23. That is a real regulatory change. It is not the same thing as a final campus plan, approved building program, confirmed water demand or construction start.
The signal is governance: the site moved from city-edge oversight into a county environment with fewer land-use powers.
The most important thing that changed is who gets to regulate the land.
Uhland did not approve a finished data center on September 23. The city acknowledged petitions releasing nearly 900 acres from its ETJ, placing the land primarily under Caldwell County jurisdiction.
The property sat inside the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, where the city had certain development-review powers even though the land was outside the city limits.
The released acreage is now primarily subject to county-level authority, where Texas counties generally have less zoning and land-use control than cities.
Here is what we actually know, and where the blanks still are.
Known
Changed Sept. 23
Still open
Not final
The acreage is especially easy to overread. “Nearly 900 acres released” should not be rewritten as “900-acre data center confirmed.” The jurisdictional action covers land associated with the proposal, not a final campus footprint we can responsibly treat as built.
Caldwell County’s fight is bigger than one project.
The county has become a target for multiple data-center proposals at the same time that local officials are arguing they do not have enough regulatory authority.
In May, Caldwell County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution opposing high-volume potable-water cooling for data centers and asking the Legislature for greater county regulatory authority. The resolution explicitly points to the limits counties face compared with cities.
PowerHouse representatives had previously told local officials the Uhland-area concept would use reclaimed water and minimal potable-water connections, according to Austin Business Journal reporting. But the same reporting says detailed size, power and water specifications were still not publicly established.
That means the responsible read is neither “this will drain the county” nor “water is solved.” The current public record is not detailed enough for either conclusion.
The regulatory move is real. The project details are still incomplete.
“Uhland approved the data center.” +
“It is a confirmed 900-acre data center.” +
“Moving into the county means no rules.” +
“The water impact is already known.” +
What part of this are you trying to understand?
The same ETJ change means something different depending on why you are paying attention.
Watch the actual site plan and infrastructure
The ETJ release tells you who regulates the site. The next useful facts are access roads, utility routes, generation, cooling design, setbacks and where buildings actually sit.
Do not rely on either side’s headline number yet
The public record we reviewed does not establish final water demand. Reclaimed water has been discussed, but detailed technical plans remain the better evidence to watch.
The pattern is regional
PowerHouse is one of several data-center developers targeting Caldwell County. The policy question is becoming whether infrastructure and regulation can keep pace with that pipeline.
Jurisdiction can matter without predicting value
Large infrastructure projects can change roads, utilities, noise, land use and development patterns. None of that translates automatically into a positive or negative property-value forecast.
Simple version
The land moved out of Uhland’s edge-of-city jurisdiction. That makes Caldwell County the more important local regulator. We still do not have a final public campus design.
Four things that would turn this from a jurisdiction story into a project story.
Final campus scope
Building count, developed acreage and actual phasing.
Power plan
Utility connection, on-site generation, capacity and grid-related infrastructure.
Water + cooling
Reclaimed-water source, potable-water demand and the final cooling system.
County agreements
Any development, road, tax, infrastructure or mitigation agreements that create enforceable obligations.
FAQ
What is an ETJ? +
Is construction starting now? +
How big will the data center be? +
Will it use drinking water for cooling? +
- Austin Business Journal, Sept. 28, 2026, reporting on the ETJ release and current project status. Source article.
- Caldwell County, May 2026 data-center resolution opposing high-volume potable-water cooling and requesting broader county regulatory authority. County summary.
- Texas Governor's Office, Aug. 18, 2026 announcement that PowerHouse agreed to statewide data-center standards. State announcement.
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