Incoming! New Amazon Data Center Planned For Cedar Creek

In early May 2026, Amazon Data Services Inc. acquired more than 1,300 acres in the Cedar Creek area of Bastrop County, Texas, according to public property records and local reporting. The parcels, closed on May 1, 2026, are located approximately 30 miles southeast of Austin along State Highway 21 West. Industry analysts and local media widely interpret the purchase as preparation for a new AWS hyperscale data center campus, though Amazon has not confirmed specific development plans. 

While multiple sources confirm the general location of the acquisition in the Cedar Creek region of Bastrop County, no public records or reporting explicitly state that the purchased land is directly adjacent to Camino Real Elementary School. The school is located in the Cedar Creek ISD service area, which overlaps with the broader region of Amazon’s land assembly. Local residents and planners have expressed concerns about potential impacts on traffic, water usage, and power infrastructure, but exact parcel boundaries relative to the school have not been disclosed in available filings. 

Amazon has characterized the Bastrop County acquisition as part of its “normal due diligence process” for potential future development. A company spokesperson told the Austin Business Journal that no final plans have been made for the site and that any development would depend on customer demand and further regulatory approvals. This language mirrors statements Amazon has made about other recent land purchases in Texas and Oregon.

The Bastrop County purchase is part of a broader surge in data center development across Texas. In 2026 alone, more than 30 data center projects have been announced in the state, representing over $50 billion in capital investment. Nearby, companies like EdgeConneX are already developing multi-building campuses totaling nearly 1,500 acres. The region’s appeal lies in its available land, expanding power infrastructure, and favorable regulatory environment, though rapid growth has raised concerns about strain on local utilities and water resources. 

Key indicators of future development on the Amazon site include:

• Filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation

• Permit applications submitted to Bastrop County

• Public notices related to water use, power interconnection, or construction 

Until such documents appear, the exact scope and timeline of any data center project remain speculative.

As of August 2026, Bastrop County—specifically the Cedar Creek area—is experiencing a significant data center boom, driven largely by the AI industry's demand for compute power. The following is a comprehensive list of finished, developing, and intended projects based on public filings and local reporting.

Currently, no hyperscale AI data centers in Bastrop County are fully operational as of August 2026. The region's first major facility, EdgeConneX's AUS02, was scheduled for completion in June 2026. While construction on the first building may have concluded, public records indicate the campus is in the final commissioning or early operational phase, with full capacity expected to come online gradually through late 2026. 

Several massive campuses are actively under construction, with permits filed and ground broken. 

1. EdgeConneX AUS02 Campus (Phase 1)

• Location: 8001 Wolf Lane, Cedar Creek (Northeast corner of FM 535 and Wolf Lane). 

• Status: Completing/Commissioning. The first building (578,000 sq ft) was targeted for June 2026 completion. 

• Scope: This is the first of four planned buildings on a ~140-acre site. 

• Investment: Approximately $440 million for Phase 1; total campus investment projected at $1.44 billion. 

• Capacity: The full campus is expected to deliver up to 240 MW of power capacity. 

• Details: The facility utilizes dry cooling systems to mitigate water usage concerns. It has received a 10-year, 75% property tax abatement from Bastrop County. 

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2. EdgeConneX EDCAUS11 & EDCAUS12 (Campus 2)

• Location: 6682 FM 535, Cedar Creek (Adjacent to AUS02). 

• Status: Under Construction. Filings were submitted in May 2026, with construction starting in June 2026. 

• Scope: Two new facilities, each spanning 730,000 sq ft, on a 180-acre parcel. 

• Investment: Estimated $700 million per building ($1.4 billion total). 

• Timeline: Estimated completion is December 2028. 

• Details: These buildings are part of EdgeConneX's broader expansion, bringing their total local footprint to nearly 1,500 acres across multiple campuses. 

These projects have been announced, land has been acquired, or preliminary filings (such as grading/excavation) have been made, but full construction permits for the data center buildings may not yet be finalized. 

1. EdgeConneX Campus 3

• Location: 6543 FM 535, Cedar Creek (400 acres). 

• Status: Preliminary Planning.

• Scope: Proposals indicate up to nine data center buildings. 

• Details: As of June 2026, requests related to excavation and grading had been filed, but no building permits for the data center structures themselves had been submitted. This site represents the third phase of EdgeConneX's massive Cedar Creek expansion. 

2. Pacifico Energy Data Center Campus

• Location: Cedar Creek area (2,842 acres). 

• Status: Proposed/Planning.

• Scope: A massive 2,842-acre campus. 

• Key Feature: The project includes a dedicated gas-fired electric generation facility to power the data center, addressing grid capacity concerns. 

• Timeline: If approved, construction was projected to start in Q3 2026 with completion in 2028. 

• Details: This project highlights a trend toward "behind-the-meter" power generation to support high-density AI workloads.

Amazon’s 1,300-Acre Acquisition: The "Creekside" Context

Location & Former Use: The 1,300-acre parcel acquired by Amazon Data Services Inc. in May 2026 is located in the Cedar Creek area of Bastrop County, specifically off State Highway 21 West, about 30 miles southeast of Austin. Before Amazon’s purchase, this land was owned by CTX Capital Partners and was extensively planned and marketed as the "Creekside" Master-Planned Community. 

The original vision for the Creekside Master-Planned Community project was envisioned as a large-scale residential development.

CTX Capital Partners had promoted it as a premier community featuring:

• Residential Units: Plans included thousands of single-family homes, townhomes, and apartments. 

• Amenities: The master plan called for parks, trails, retail centers, and community gathering spaces. 

• Schools: The development was expected to feed into the Cedar Creek Independent

School District, which includes Camino Real Elementary School. The proximity of the planned residential zones to the school was a key selling point for families. 

Latest Developments: Amazon’s Bastrop Site (August 2026)

• Current Status: Active Preparation As of mid-August 2026, Amazon has moved beyond simple land acquisition. While the company still publicly describes the project as being in the "due diligence" phase, recent filings and satellite imagery confirm active site preparation:

• Land Clearing: Satellite images from late July 2026 show significant land-clearing activities across the 1,300-acre "Creekside" parcel, consistent with the initial phases of hyperscale campus construction. 

• Permit Filings: Although Amazon has not yet filed specific building permits for the data center structures in Bastrop County, the company recently filed for new data center buildings at other Texas locations (Fort Stockton and Wharton County) in early August 2026, signaling an aggressive statewide expansion timeline. Industry analysts expect Bastrop building permits to follow shortly. 

Regional Context & Power Strategy— Amazon’s Bastrop activity is part of a broader, power-intensive strategy in Texas.

Pacifico Energy Connection: Recent reports confirm Amazon is financing a massive, natural gas-fired power plant in Pecos County, Texas, developed by Pacifico Energy. 

This "behind-the-meter" generation is designed to power Amazon's new data centers, bypassing grid constraints. While the Pecos plant is distinct from the Bastrop site, it underscores Amazon's commitment to securing dedicated, high-capacity power for its Texas AI infrastructure, including the upcoming Bastrop campus. 

Competitive Landscape: Amazon’s 1,300-acre site dwarfs the initial phases of neighboring projects like EdgeConneX (which is already commissioning its first building for CoreWeave). If Amazon proceeds with a full build-out similar to its other campuses, the Bastrop site could host multiple large-scale buildings, potentially making it the largest single data center complex in the Cedar Creek area. 

Slowing down or challenging Amazon’s 1,300-acre data center project in Bastrop County requires immediate, coordinated action focused on regulatory leverage points. Because Texas state law limits county zoning authority, opponents must target specific permits, financial incentives, and environmental reviews. 

Summary of Immediate Steps We Must Take—

• Monitor TCEQ Filings: Check daily for new permit applications from Amazon or its affiliates.

• Attend Commissioners Court: Speak during public comment to oppose any tax breaks or discretionary permits.

• File Legal Challenges: If permits are issued, immediately file for a contested case hearing.

• Pressure State Officials: Demand a legislative pause on industrial approvals in Bastrop County. 

Let's talk about why these specific steps matter specifically in Bastrop County: 

1.) The most direct legal mechanism to halt construction is filing a contested case hearing request with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

• Action: File a formal motion to overturn issued permits (such as stormwater or air quality permits) within 30 days of issuance. 

•Grounds: Focus on specific technical violations, such as inadequate drainage plans, hydrology impacts, or stormwater runoff risks to adjacent properties. Recent successful challenges by residents in Cedar Creek (e.g., the Jenkins and Lewis families against Black Chamber/Pacifico Energy) utilized this exact method, forcing a 45-day agency review period that automatically pauses related construction activities.

• Strategy: Demand a contested case hearing, which triggers a formal legal process involving an administrative law judge, often delaying projects by months or years. 

2.) Disrupt Financial Incentives (Tax Abatements)

Amazon has not yet secured a property tax abatement for the Bastrop site, unlike neighboring EdgeConneX. This is a critical vulnerability.

• Action: Pack the Bastrop County Commissioners Court meetings during public comment periods to demand transparency before any abatement is voted on. 

• Leverage: Urge commissioners to pause all new tax abatements until a comprehensive "Bastrop Bill of Rights" or impact study is completed. Commissioners are politically sensitive to voter backlash; organized opposition can convince them to withhold the 75% tax breaks that make these projects financially viable.

• Precedent: Residents in other Texas counties have successfully delayed projects by threatening to vote out commissioners who approve "blank check" incentives without community input. 

3.) Demand a Moratorium via State Legislation

Leverage the growing statewide movement for a regulatory pause.

• Action: Contact Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and local State Representatives to demand enforcement of a statewide moratorium on new data center approvals. 

• Context: Commissioner Miller has publicly called for a temporary pause to assess grid and water impacts. While not yet law, intense constituent pressure can encourage local officials to voluntarily adopt a "soft moratorium" (pausing discretionary approvals like drainage or fire safety permits) while awaiting state guidance. 

• Goal: Push the Bastrop County Commissioners Court to table all pending industrial permits, citing the need for updated county-wide impact studies on water and power. 

4.) Organize Community Coalitions

Isolated complaints are often ignored; organized coalitions force legal and political responses.

• Action: Form or join a dedicated group (similar to "Save Cedar Creek Lake" in Henderson County, which successfully stopped a project in July 2026). 

• Tactics:

a. Petitions: Gather thousands of signatures to present at Commissioners Court.

b. Town Halls: Demand public meetings where Amazon executives must answer questions under oath or on the record.

c. Legal Fund: Pool resources to hire specialized land-use attorneys who can identify procedural errors in permit applications. 

5. Scrutinize "Due Diligence" Activities

Amazon claims the site is in "due diligence," but satellite imagery shows land clearing.

• Action: Report any unpermitted land disturbance to the Bastrop County Development Services Department. 

• Detail: If Amazon is clearing land without an approved Site Development Plan or Grading Permit, the county can issue a "Stop Work" order. Vigilant monitoring of the site by residents can catch violations early, forcing a halt to all physical progress.

Your Voice is the Only Brake Left!

The transformation of the "Creekside" land from a promised residential community into a hyperscale Amazon data center campus is not a fait accompli—or an accomplished, presumably irreversible deed or fact. While Amazon’s capital and the state’s pro-business stance are powerful, the Bastrop County Commissioners Court and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) remain the critical bottlenecks where resident action can delay, reshape, or even halt the project’s most damaging aspects.

The window to act is narrow but open. Amazon has not yet secured the property tax abatements that make these projects financially viable, nor have they filed the final building permits that would lock in their industrial footprint. 

This is the moment where silence equals consent. Do not be silent. Challenge each permit request. Pack the County Commissioners Court Meetings. And remember: this is our home not theirs. These companies do not plan to live and raise their own children here. They don't plan on retiring here. They don't plan on building community with us—but will industrialize our rural communities. They don't share our hopes, dreams, or goals—they don't even share their own. So this is the time to find out what those goals are, and be the obstacle these mega Data Centers cannot jump over. 

Bastrop Strong!

Cedar Creek Forever!