FRANKLIN COUNTY, Mo.—Two data centers were recently proposed for Franklin County but after public commentary stretched for over 10 hours, all interested parties will have to wait a month to hear what’s next.

What You Need To Know

  • Franklin County’s Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to discuss and potentially make their recommendation about the rezoning proposals during the meeting on April 21

  • The Beltline Energy project is proposed for land near the City of Pacific’s Wastewater Treatment Facility with multiple access points along Highway O
  • The Gateway Digital Campus proposal stretches along the southern side of I-44 and adjacent to the Shaw Nature Reserve

  • Developers will need a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission before they can move forward to the county commission’s review
  • Opposition warns the data center would cause health problems, harm the environment, negatively impact finances and they doubt the developers' claims to address these issues sufficiently

The Beltline Energy project is proposed for land near the City of Pacific’s Wastewater Treatment Facility with multiple access points along Highway O.

The Gateway Digital Campus proposal stretches along the southern side of I-44 and adjacent to the Shaw Nature Reserve. A neighborhood, Desloge Estates, is to the south of the rezone limits.

Developers will need a recommendation from the county's Planning and Zoning Commission before they can move forward to the County Commission’s review.

“It feels like a gold rush,” said Patricia Schuba, Franklin County resident and spokesperson for the Franklin County Rural Coalition. “There's a handful of people making money on it and we taxpayers, ratepayers, the public are the ones that are going to be left holding the bag in the end.”

On Tuesday into Wednesday, 174 public commenters spoke during the planning and zoning meeting in Franklin County. Opposition to the data centers centered around infrastructure concerns, noise issues and distrust of the developers’ claims.

“I’m greatly alarmed with the negative impact the data center can bring to our area,” testified Chuck Redeker, Franklin County resident. “I'm very concerned about the decreased property values that can occur, the increased Ameren bills, the noise, the absence of our unlit night sky, the health risks from the exhaust, the discharge of chemicals into the Meramec (River), negative impact on ecology and wildlife and possibility of losing our communities water well and source of potable water.”

Alike the developers, some residents brought documentation and studies.

“Data Center facilities noise generation have health effects that can cause hearing, respiratory, sleep deprivation, stress and in extreme cases (90+) permanent hearing loss,” testified Mary Fuller, Catawissa resident. “The low volume hum generated from the cooling fans can be audible up to two miles away as referenced by Environmental Heal Project+4.”

Fuller provided this University of Michigan Ford School study, “What happens when data centers come to town?” In short, Michigan researchers noted increased utility rates, high resource consumption, ineffective tax incentives, prolonging fossil fuel energy plants and more.

Both developers’ presentations tout billions of dollars in economic gain for the Franklin County and how they address concerns of noise, infrastructure and more. On paper, there is a brief answer with some detail to each concern.

Franklin County’s Planning and Zoning Commission is expected to discuss the proposed rezoning during the next meeting on April 21.

“They heard the public in their entirety,” said Nicole Zielke, Franklin County’s planning director.  “So the public hearing is now closed and now it will just be up to them to read through everything they were given.”

During the April 21 meeting, the commission may decide to table it, if they need more time, or potentially make their recommendation (to approve/disapprove the zoning requests) to the county commission. That hearing date would be at least two weeks out (early May).