Two data center developers are eyeing undeveloped land in Foristell, a growing city along Interstate 70 that straddles the St. Charles County and Warren County border, officials here say, and owners of the land are working to annex it into Foristell.
"We've not received a formal application for a data center, but annexation is the first step in this process," said City Administrator Todd Streiler.
The board of aldermen will consider on Monday whether to expand city boundaries to include three large Warren County properties along the north outer road of I-70, representing one potential data center site. The other property is already inside of the city limits on the south side of I-70.
The potential for two data centers in Foristell has residents like Desiree Walker worried.
Walker, an organic cattle and poultry farmer, is worried about their ecological impacts.
"We've not been presented with any facts about these proposals," Walker said. "If they are indeed for data centers, what is their water usage? What is their electricity usage? What are they going to do the environment? I think we all have so many questions right now."
Similar concerns have been expressed by residents fighting data center proposals across the region.
Talks Start in Foristell
In St. Charles, a developer had hoped to build a data center on 440 acres along Highway 370 near the primary source of the city's drinking water. The project sparked backlash from residents concerned about electricity and water usage, flooding, water contamination — and nondisclosure agreements signed by city leaders that prevented them from telling the public who would have used the data center.
In St. Louis, developer Rod Thomas announced in September plans to build an 84,000-square-foot data center on a parking lot at the old St. Louis Armory, just south of Interstate 64 near Grand Boulevard. Opposition was swift there, too. Alderman Michael Browning called it "short-sighted and ultimately detrimental."
Both proposals have stalled. But others have met with more success, so far.
In Festus, city leaders agreed in November to rezone 365 acres in Jefferson County for a proposed data center, despite opposition from residents.
In western Montgomery County, county officials are considering two data center proposals — one linked to Amazon Web Services — on roughly 2,000 acres about 80 miles west of St. Louis.
And in Warrenton, just west of Foristell on I-70, city leaders recently approved regulations for data center projects ahead of an expected proposal to build one in the city's industrial park.
Back in Foristell, Mayor Bradley Miller said the city was approached in May by firms representing the two potential data center users. The out-of-state firms were exploring potential building sites and selected two in the Foristell area.
The first site is 216 acres on the city's northwest side, up for annexation Monday.
The other is a 240-acre site located east of the 800,000-square-foot American Food Groups beef processing plant on the south side of I-70.
Miller said the city has only had "sporadic talks" with the contractors since May.
"They've been pretty vague conversations, purely surface-level conversations about zoning requirements, utilities and things like that," Miller said. "They've been like any other conversation that we would have with any other business looking to expand to Foristell."
Streiler, Foristell's administrator, said the contractors wouldn't tell the city the names of the developers or the companies that would use the sites once construction is completed.
Foristell city leaders have refused to sign nondisclosure agreements, Streiler said.
"We've not been provided any information that we can't provide to the public," Streiler said.
'People fear this is already a done deal'
The four members of the Foristell Board of Aldermen are expected to vote Monday on a trio of annexation requests for three properties on the city's northwest side — R&R Holdings, 95 acres; H. M. Boegeman Realty Co., 89 acres; and Longhorn Property Management, 32 acres.
Landowner representatives could not be reached for comment.
The three are currently zoned for agricultural use, Streiler said, and Foristell would need to rezone them for use as data centers.
The second site is already inside the city limits. It is zoned for mixed-use development, officials said, and would likely not need a zoning change but may need other permits.
Miller, in his first term as mayor, stressed that Monday's vote is strictly on annexing the property for the first site. The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in Foristell City Hall, will include a public hearing on the annexation proposal.
"People fear that this is already a done deal, that this is already signed, sealed and delivered for the developers," Miller said. "That is not the case. This is far from over."
Streiler said the city has requested the developers hold at least one town hall before submitting data center proposals.
The proposals would be heard by the city's planning and zoning commission and then by the board of aldermen.
Miller said there is "a big benefit" to annexing the property if a data center proposal is ultimately submitted for the site. The city didn't annex a food processing plant, and that left the city without any input on how the site was designed.
"If it is outside of the city limits, then we have no control, no involvement in what happens," Miller said. "We want to be involved in the process."
Residents like Walker are hoping the the board will actually delay its vote.
"I think we all want the facts first," Walker said. "And right now, we don't have any of the facts."
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