Franklin County looking at data center amendment and rezoning requests tonight

The Franklin County Planning and Zoning Commission in Union, Missouri, is set to review proposed amendments to the Unified Land-Use Regulations, specifically concerning data centers, and two rezoning requests. These rezoning requests are widely anticipated to be for new data center developments. The meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Union High School, is preceded by a protest organized by the Franklin County Rural Coalition (FCRC), starting at 5:30 p.m. The FCRC aims to demonstrate strong opposition by filling the bleachers with protestors wearing red, although no public testimony is expected to be heard during the meeting itself, despite an agenda item for "communications and visitor comments." The two major data center projects under consideration are the Beltline Energy project, proposed near the City of Pacific's Wastewater Treatment Facility, and the Gateway Digital Campus, planned along I-44 adjacent to the Shaw Nature Reserve. Both developers have highlighted billions in potential economic gains for Franklin County. Developers require a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission before their proposals can advance to the county commission for further review. A previous meeting in March saw over ten hours of public comment, with residents voicing concerns about potential health issues, environmental harm, and negative financial impacts from the data centers. Developers presented plans to mitigate these issues, but residents remain skeptical about the sufficiency of these measures.