Midtown Armory redevelopment and data center move forward after 11-hour appeal hearing
A proposal to redevelop the Midtown Armory area in St. Louis, including an adjacent data center, received final approval after an 11-hour appeal hearing. The Board of Adjustment unanimously upheld a previous conditional use permit decision, attaching stricter conditions for the developers. Opponents had filed 13 appeals, citing concerns over process, property values, and environmental impacts.
A significant development project in Midtown St. Louis, involving the redevelopment of the Armory and the construction of an adjacent data center, has been approved following a marathon 11-hour appeal hearing. The Board of Adjustment unanimously voted to uphold an earlier decision by the Board of Public Service to grant a conditional use permit for the data center, allowing developers to proceed.
The approval comes with stricter conditions and amendments imposed on the developers. Robert Golterman, attorney for Lewis Rice Law Firm representing the respondent, stated that these conditions are extensive and enforceable. He highlighted the project's potential to bring over $3 billion in capital investment to St. Louis, noting it could be one of the city's largest private projects, with the developer agreeing to forgo public financing or tax incentives and committing tens of millions to community benefit initiatives.
Thirteen appeals were filed by residents, businesses, and organizations after the initial April approval. Opponents, including former alderwoman Tina Sweet-T Pihl and environmental monitor Kat Logan-Smith, argued that the Board of Public Service failed to adhere to required criteria when evaluating the permit. Pihl, with a background in city planning, expressed concerns about the industrial nature of the data center lowering property values in a now-residential area, while Logan-Smith raised alarms about potential pollution and the project's proximity to a children's hospital, questioning the completeness of the developer's application and the rushed approval process before city-wide data center regulations are finalized.