Festus residents sue city to stop a $6 billion data center project

Four property owners in Festus, Missouri, along with the local advocacy group Wake Up JeffCo, have filed a 12-count, 54-page lawsuit against the City of Festus and developer CRG, a division of Clayco. The lawsuit seeks to halt a proposed $6 billion data center project near Highway 67 and Route CC in Jefferson County. This legal challenge builds upon significant community opposition, which previously saw multiple city council members lose their re-election bids after voting to approve the data center development. Attorney Steven Jeffrey, representing the plaintiffs, states that the lawsuit's primary goals are to invalidate the city's rezoning of the project land, restore it to its prior classification, and void the development agreement approved by the city council. The suit alleges violations of city codes and the state's Sunshine Law during the project's approval process. Jeffrey emphasized that this is the first lawsuit in the St. Louis area challenging a government's decision to approve such a large data center project. Plaintiffs, including Mary Fake, who lives near the proposed site, expressed a feeling of being unheard during the approval process. In response, the interim city administrator of Festus maintained that the city followed all legal requirements for enacting data center regulations, annexing property, rezoning, and approving the development agreement, including proper publication of notices and public hearings. An attorney for CRG stated that the company does not intend to let the litigation derail productive conversations or the project's continued progress, which they believe will benefit the Festus community. The data center project still requires further city approvals, such as a site plan and permits.