07/12/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bwrCWTFyY/
What say y'all?
Y'all, they say a handshake and a written promise are supposed to mean something in Texas, but one small town is fighting to prove that is still true! 🇺🇸📉🛑
If you want to understand why so many local communities are frustrated with the massive tech boom, just look at what is happening in Taylor, Texas. Back in 1999, a local farmer known as Mr. Bland saw that the neighborhood kids didn't have anywhere safe to play. So, out of the goodness of his heart, his family deeded nearly 88 acres of land for just $10. The official deed came with one very clear, legally binding catch: the land must "be held in trust for future use as parkland." 🌳
Fast forward a few decades. Through a series of quiet municipal transfers, the City of Taylor ended up passing the land to the Taylor Economic Development Corporation. In 2025, they shocked the community by selling that exact same "parkland" to a massive commercial developer for a staggering $10 million! 💰
Instead of baseball fields and swing sets for the kids, the land is now slated to become a massive 135,000-square-foot, windowless industrial data center. Not only are the neighbors terrified about the noise, massive water usage, and dropping property values, but they are heartbroken over the betrayal of Mr. Bland's original gift.
The community isn't going down without a fight, though. The descendants and neighbors have taken the fight all the way to the Third Court of Appeals in Austin to demand that the original deed be honored. Do you think a city should be allowed to override a decades-old charitable land deed if a massive corporation offers them enough money? Let us know in the comments below! 👇 Let's stand with the locals!
