Huge Turnout To Oppose Data Centers In Camden County; Commission Says No To Opportunity Zone

On Thursday, April 30, a standing-room-only crowd attended the Camden County Commission meeting in Missouri to oppose the recommendation of a land tract for federal Opportunity Zone (OZ) status. Residents expressed strong fears that the OZ designation would facilitate the construction of a large data center within the approximately 2,000 acres sought by Mo Lake Development, a company owned by siblings Blake Hodits and Brandi Freese. The commission ultimately voted against recommending the tract for OZ approval. The controversy escalated following a comment by Freese at an earlier meeting where she responded "You never know" when asked if large data centers would be built in the area. Additionally, a text from Camdenton City Administrator Jeff Hooker circulated, mentioning Hodits' plan to discuss a "500,000 square foot data center" with officials. While Hodits claimed he had only vaguely mentioned a data center as a potential component and assured a commitment to environmental responsibility, his initial plans focused on a "data and technical institute." Amid mounting public opposition, State Rep. Jeff Vernetti withdrew his support for the OZ designation. In response to these developments, the City of Camdenton announced it would consider rescinding its own OZ recommendation and proposing a 12-month moratorium on data centers at its May 5 Board of Aldermen meeting. These actions follow Camden County's recent passage of an ordinance defining and severely restricting data center construction, with Osage Beach and Camdenton City also working to update their respective codes.