Photos: Franklin County Planning and Zoning Commission hold marathon public comment session

The Franklin County Planning and Zoning Commission in Missouri convened a marathon public meeting on March 17-18, 2026, to discuss two proposed data center developments. The session, which began at 6 p.m. and didn't adjourn until 4:39 a.m. the following day, saw an attendance of approximately 850 people at Union High School. Public sentiment was overwhelmingly against the proposed data centers. Residents like Rene Bollinger and Mark Baxa, who live near the proposed sites, voiced their opposition. However, some, including Jeff Aboussie on behalf of organized labor and Roman Pacewicz regarding the Diamond Farms proposal, spoke in favor of the projects. Ryan Sanders, a partner with Beltline Energy, one of the developers, also addressed the commission. William McLaren, who owns land he plans to sell to Beltline Energy for a data center south of Pacific, announced his resignation from the planning and zoning commission at the start of the meeting.