Developer behind controversial data center near Armory sues St. Louis
TerraWatt, the developer of a proposed $3.1 billion data center in St. Louis, is suing the city over two allegedly illegal conditions imposed on its conditional use permit: renewable energy requirements and a community benefits agreement clause. The developer claims these conditions are beyond the Board of Adjustment's authority and practically impossible to meet. Separately, the Missouri Coalition for the Environment and other plaintiffs are also suing the city and developer over the project's use permit.
TerraWatt, the developer behind a planned $3.1 billion data center in Midtown St. Louis, has filed a lawsuit against the city. David Lambiaso, a partner at TerraWatt, is challenging two conditions imposed by the city’s Board of Adjustment on the data center's conditional use permit, alleging they are illegal and impossible to fulfill.
The contested requirements include specific renewable energy provisions and a clause demanding the city's Board of Aldermen approve a community benefits agreement. Lambiaso argues these conditions exceed the board's authority, with the renewable energy requirement, mandating 2.4 megawatts of clean power, being particularly unfeasible on the 11-acre site.
The developer is seeking to have both requirements removed from the permit. The city's Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority recently approved the community benefits agreement separately. This legal action unfolds as the City of St. Louis and Lambiaso face another lawsuit from the Missouri Coalition for the Environment and other groups, who contend the city unlawfully granted the initial use permit for the project.