Kaufman County, Texas, is at the center of a brewing controversy after residents discovered plans for a large-scale development funded by investors from the United Arab Emirates.
The project, which could bring a sustainable city to an unincorporated area of the county, has sparked concern among locals who say they were kept in the dark about the proposal.
The situation began to unfold in 2022 when Kaufman Solar LLC purchased a large tract of land in the area.
Residents initially paid little attention to the transaction. However, alarm bells began ringing when news emerged that a buyer from the Middle East was seeking to acquire approximately 2,000 acres adjacent to the planned solar farm.
Local residents first learned about the potential development through a Facebook post on Jan. 30.
The post raised questions about a planned “Geocity” funded by Saudi Arabian investors, with estimates suggesting it could accommodate more than 20,000 people. The post prompted residents to seek clarity on whether the rumors held any truth.
An anonymous source quickly confirmed to the original poster that a company was indeed pursuing land in the unincorporated area of Kaufman County.
A text message obtained and verified by the Daily Caller revealed that local officials, including commissioners and school administrators, were aware of the plans.
The message suggested that Kaufman city and county officials had been attempting to keep the information quiet.
The Jan. 20 Kaufman County Commissioner Court meeting provided confirmation of the development plans.
A Dallas law firm representing the buyer presented a proposal contingent on the county approving three new municipal water districts for the sustainable city.
The potential developer was identified as SEE Holding, a UAE-based global holding group headquartered in Dubai that focuses on sustainability and net-zero emissions initiatives.
Republican Rep. Lance Gooden confirmed to the Caller that the buyer operates out of Dubai.
Gooden expressed serious reservations about the project that he believes must be addressed before any approval process moves forward.
Gooden revealed that the development group had contacted him directly.
“The group reached out to me, and I said under no circumstances would we accept any planned community that included mosques or religious buildings or schools. 20,000 foreigners is news to me, but that would also be a nonstarter, obviously,” Gooden told the Caller.
The congressman stated that the developers agreed to his conditions and offered to document those commitments in writing.
“They said they would put that in writing and agreed with me, and I suggested they delay their hearing,” he continued.
“We have a lot of crappy, run-down developments in Kaufman County and would welcome something nice, but this group will need to convince the community before I get on board.”
Gooden drew a distinction between the current situation and what might occur with domestic developers.
“If they were from New York and not Dubai, then we likely wouldn’t be concerned, but considering what our neighboring counties have been through, they’re going to have to actively involve the community to get buy-in, and that has yet to happen,” Gooden said.
Questions have emerged about what county officials knew and when they knew it.
A source familiar with the project claimed that Kaufman County Commissioner Terry Crow initially stated he was unaware of the development when first contacted.
That same source later confirmed that Crow allegedly possessed detailed knowledge of the proposal before the public became aware, per the Caller.
The outlet further noted that the Kaufman County Commissioners Court had scheduled a vote on the new water districts for Feb. 10.
During the February 3 meeting, however, officials removed the item from the agenda.
County Judge Jakie Allen explained the decision during the meeting.
“Next week, we were supposed to have a hearing on the freshwater District for the sustainable city. I’ve been visiting with Congressman Gooden and myself with the principal involved here from Dallas, and they have asked to pull that from the agenda for next week,” Allen stated.
Allen indicated that developers would return later with comprehensive plans to address public concerns.
“They will be coming later with a full set of plans so that people can ask questions and any questions would be answered at that time; and we’ll go wherever in the county we need to go cause it affects the entire county,” he continued.
The county judge also addressed concerns about the religious character of the development.
“Last night when I spoke with the man in Dallas, he said they would go as far as … I know some people worried about it being a Muslim community, so he guarantees it’s not; and they would put in the deeds that there will be no mosque ever built on the location, so anyway, so that will not be on the agenda for next week,” Allen said.
