Data center activity in Missouri
Missouri's environment reflects at least 89 enacted moratoriums against just six rejected, along with notable legal and opposition pressure. Zoning decisions are strongly favorable, with at least 43 approvals and only three denials, while opposition outcomes are nearly even at 15 blocked and 14 approved despite objections. At least 71 companies are active. The state has slipped over the past quarter and now trails neighboring Arkansas and Nebraska.
Missouri's environment reflects at least 89 enacted moratoriums against just six rejected, along with notable legal and opposition pressure. Zoning decisions are strongly favorable, with at least 43 approvals and only three denials, while opposition outcomes are nearly even at 15 blocked and 14 approved despite objections. At least 71 companies are active. The state has slipped over the past quarter and now trails neighboring Arkansas and Nebraska.
How is this scored?
St. Louis aldermen held the first reading of a bill that would require data center operators to pay for their annual power usage through their annual license fees. The revenue would fund energy-efficiency improvements, and if approved by the board and mayor, the measure would go before voters on the April ballot.
A letter to the editor urges White Cloud Township residents to support a November ballot measure establishing township zoning. The writer says the measure would not stop the planned White Cloud Acres Data Center but would create a zoning board to regulate future development and address concerns such as traffic, noise, drainage and environmental impacts.
Missouri officials and utility leaders discussed the rapid growth of hyperscale data centers and the need to expand the state’s electricity infrastructure. Projects involving Amazon, Google and Nebius are underway or beginning in Montgomery County and Independence, while Gov. Mike Kehoe acknowledged local opposition and said lawmakers may establish additional guardrails.
Representatives from Crusoe, McCarthy Building Companies, DPR Construction and local organizations gathered in Warrenton for a Construction Inclusion Week networking event. The event focused on connecting the companies building Crusoe’s data center with local businesses, nonprofits and community resources, amid acknowledged concerns about the project’s local impact.
Missouri’s new state energy plan calls for expanded nuclear power, transmission capacity and redevelopment of former industrial and power-generation sites as electricity demand rises. State officials cite expected growth from artificial intelligence data centers, while two data center projects in Montgomery County have generated community concerns.
Columbia officials are reviewing feedback from residents about data center development in the city. The available information does not identify a specific company, project decision, or regulatory outcome.
Amazon told Montgomery County commissioners that it plans to expand its data center footprint in the county. The proposal could add up to 15 new data center buildings across as many as 890 acres at a separate site.
Ferguson residents filed a petition with more than 1,400 signatures seeking to put the city’s controversial data center development on the ballot. The city approved the multi-billion-dollar project at the former Emerson Electric site last month, but the signatures must still be validated before triggering a repeal vote or public referendum.
Desloge approved a temporary moratorium on data centers during a Board of Aldermen meeting. City officials plan to tour an operating data center while the pause is in effect to better understand these facilities.
The St. Joseph City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on rezoning several properties along Mitchell Avenue and a property at 1207A South 33rd Street. The council will also consider data center ordinances at its Monday meeting, but the available information does not specify the proposed rules or any particular data center company.
CRG President Chris McKee said the company’s proposed hyperscale data center in Festus remains tentatively on schedule for site mobilization and grading to begin in November, subject to city reviews and permits. The project faces organized opposition, while the city is awaiting final plans and will help publicize a required informational meeting before vertical construction begins.
A reader argues that data center owners, rather than Missouri electric customers, should pay for nuclear power construction needed to support the sector's large electricity demand. The letter raises concerns about future utility bill increases but does not identify a specific data center project or company.
Linn Creek has temporarily withdrawn a proposed annexation of nearly 2,000 acres while city officials develop land-use regulations, including rules for data centers. The work follows public concerns about the proposed development and annexation.
The St. Joseph City Council will meet with the Planning Commission on Oct. 26 to discuss zoning regulations for data centers. The council previously postponed two ordinances concerning data center contracts.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is seeking stronger data center regulations, particularly limits and monitoring for noise. The planning commission has sent proposed zoning rules to the county council, which is expected to review them along with Page's request for countywide health department noise oversight.
The St. Louis County Planning Commission approved recommendations for data center zoning standards, including setbacks and noise monitoring requirements, and forwarded them to the County Council. County Executive Sam Page also wants the public health department to monitor low-frequency data center noise county-wide, though the proposal has not yet been approved or budgeted.
St. Joseph Mayor Larry Miller has scheduled a City Council work session to discuss guidance for data center zoning regulations. The session follows the council's unanimous July decision to pause all new data center applications.
A St. Louis County Circuit Court judge scheduled a Dec. 10 summary judgment hearing in a lawsuit seeking to stop CRG Acquisition LLC’s proposed data center in Festus. The lawsuit, filed by Wake Up Jeffco representatives, challenges the city’s rezoning, public-meeting procedures, records disclosures and infrastructure development agreement for the project.
The Mexico Planning and Zoning Commission approved amended proposed ordinance language regulating data center development within the city. The rules would limit data centers to industrial districts and require utility capacity assurances, noise testing, and decommissioning or nuisance-abatement bonds; the City Council is expected to consider the ordinance in November before a 90-day moratorium expires.
Amazon hosted an Opportunity Day in Montgomery County to promote jobs and economic benefits from its upcoming data center campus. While officials and some residents welcomed the investment, others criticized construction traffic, road damage and perceived environmental impacts, leaving the community divided.