County planning hearing recommends denial of ‘Project Tango’ expansion amid noise, water and environmental concerns

A county planning hearing recommended that a proposed master-plan amendment to allow a large AI data center known as "Project Tango" be denied, following extended public comment about noise, water use and environmental harm. The panel voted to recommend denial and will forward the matter to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, which has scheduled a hearing for July 11 at 301 North Olive.

Residents and environmental advocates pressed the panel with accounts of potential harms. Eric Appel, a Palm Beach resident, said the facility could operate 24 hours a day and that nearby homes would "hear hum" at night; he played a recording and said, "It's not peaceful, it's not nice." Rinaldo Diaz, who identified himself as founder of Lake Worth Water T-Bird and an advocate for the lagoon, argued the project could raise local water temperatures and exacerbate nutrient-driven cyanobacteria blooms in drinking-water sources, and said, "This is far from a light industrial use and the only course of action is to deny the application." Other speakers raised similar concerns about low-frequency vibration, school proximity, and long-term precedent for converting warehouses into hyperscale data centers.

Applicant representatives and staff said technical studies had been submitted. The applicant's representative, Mr. Cox, described parcel ownership on the draft site plan and said a preliminary noise assessment and a health-and-safety assessment had been provided to county staff; he added that the conditions of approval require additional certified engineering submittals at later stages. Planning staff told the panel that the project's classification under the county's existing "data and information processing" definition is currently treated as a permitted light-industrial use in certain zoning districts, but that site-plan and master-plan thresholds trigger review and conditions.

Panel members said the key technical question before them was whether the proposed hyperscale AI data center should be treated as light industrial or heavy industrial under county standards. Commissioners and several speakers said the packet lacked detailed modeling inputs and signed engineering methodology for the predictive noise chart presented; opponents argued that without that methodological evidence the record was incomplete. One commissioner told colleagues the code "does not keep up with technology" and said more empirical data and code revisions may be needed before the county approves such projects.

Participants cited specific concerns and figures from the hearing: opponents referred to proposed rooftop cooling fans described by speakers as "approximately 90 feet in the air, 600 of them," a claimed daily water use figure of about "100,000 gallons of water a day," and a proposed change that would add roughly "1,500,000 square feet" to the master plan (the existing master-plan approvals referenced in the record included a prior 1,200,000-square-foot approval on a nearby 60-acre parcel). Speakers also noted the project's proposed proximity to schools (about 1,200 feet was discussed) and potential impacts to wildlife corridors and the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.

The panel's motion to recommend denial said there was "competent substantial evidence presented in writing and at the hearing" that the project did not meet county standards on several criteria, including consistency with the comprehensive plan, compatibility, and minimizing environmental impact. The motion passed. The panel did not record a full roll-call tally in the transcript; the recommendation itself moves the matter to the Board of County Commissioners for a final decision on July 11.

For opponents, the vote was a procedural victory but not a final outcome. The applicant may supplement materials and argue conditions of approval at the county commission hearing. Planning staff emphasized that certain technical submittals are required at later permitting stages and that the panel's action is a recommendation for the commissioners to consider.

The next procedural step is the July 11 hearing before the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, where the county commission will consider the record, the panel's recommendation and any supplementary evidence submitted by the applicant or opponents.