KDC Secures Approval for 360MW 'Project Comal' Data Center Campus Near Austin
April 1, 2026
In a significant move highlighting the continued expansion of digital infrastructure in Central Texas, real estate developer KDC has received full planning approval to construct a massive 360-megawatt data center campus just outside Austin. The project underscores the strategic shift of real estate firms into the high-demand data center sector, capitalizing on the region's growth as a major tech hub.
The Taylor City Council voted unanimously on March 26 to approve annexation and zoning requests for the development, known internally as 'Project Comal.' The campus will be built on a 220-acre site located approximately 35 miles northeast of Austin, adjacent to a forthcoming Samsung semiconductor plant slated to become operational this year. According to site plans, the facility will comprise six data center buildings supported by two dedicated substations.
KDC, a firm traditionally focused on commercial and build-to-suit projects, stated that the estimated three-and-a-half-year construction phase is projected to generate up to 3,000 jobs. Power for the 360MW facility will be sourced from the Texas utility Oncor. The approval follows another data center project greenlit by Taylor last July for a 135,000-square-foot facility on a separate 52-acre parcel.
To spearhead its entry into this booming market, KDC appointed former CyrusOne executive Robert Child as its Executive Vice President of Data Center Development earlier this year. The company's pivot reflects a broader industry trend where commercial real estate developers are actively pursuing opportunities in data center construction to meet soaring demand from cloud and AI services.
The scale of Project Comal positions it as a major power consumer and infrastructure asset in the Austin metropolitan area, likely influencing local energy planning and economic development strategies for years to come.
Source: datacenterdynamics
