Local Businessman Withdraws Data Center Application in St. Joseph, Missouri, After Community Opposition
June 30, 2026
Local Businessman Withdraws Data Center Application in St. Joseph, Missouri, After Community Opposition
A proposal to build a data center in St. Joseph, Missouri, has been abandoned after the developer withdrew its rezoning and annexation applications, following significant pushback from local residents. The decision marks a victory for community groups who had raised concerns over the project's environmental and economic impacts.
Capstone Technology Campus, a company owned by local businessman Steve Craig, had filed applications to annex a 130-acre parcel of land at 6321 Pickett Road and rezone both that site and the adjacent 5701 Pickett Road for a data center development. However, on June 26, the City of St. Joseph confirmed that both applications had been withdrawn at the developer's request. “At the developer’s request, both applications have been withdrawn,” the city said in a statement. The project had been scheduled for review at a planning commission meeting on July 23.
According to a draft fact sheet released by the city, the facility was to be developed by Atmosphere Data Centers, a U.S.-based operator led by Chuck McBride, formerly of Blue Owl-owned Radius DC. A preliminary site plan indicated the campus could have included four data center buildings and a substation, covering a significant portion of the 130-acre site in Buchanan County, near the Kansas border.
The withdrawal came amid mounting opposition from local residents. Two petitions against the data center had garnered more than 720 and 1,500 signatures, respectively. Critics cited concerns over environmental degradation, noise pollution, and the limited economic benefits of the project, arguing that the land would be better suited for other types of development. The city’s statement noted that any future proposal would require new applications and would have to follow the standard review process, leaving the door open for potential redevelopment of the site under different plans.
Source: datacenterdynamics
