City recently introduced new stringent measures in lieu of full moratorium
Plans to turn a vacant building in St. Louis, Missouri, into a data center have been pushed back by developers amid regulatory changes and pushback from local officials.
As reported by the St.Louis Post-Dispatch and others, documents filed with the city of St. Louis show TriStar Properties recently signed an option to buy the Armory from local developer Green Street Real Estate Ventures for $25 million, and repurpose it as a data center.
A second data center was set to be built in the property’s parking lot, with a building permit filed for the $600m project last month. Full details around the scope of the project were not shared.
However, the public hearing where the proposals would have been discussed has been canceled. Due to take place this week, TriStar reportedly needs more time to comply with recently-issued orders imposing greater scrutiny on data centers.
The project has faced pushback from local officials, who claim to have heard concerns from residents.
Michael Browning, a member of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, has voiced opposition to the plans, stating that the project has the “potential to be detrimental to the entire city through its lack of vision, its questionable economic benefit, and its intensive energy and water demands.”
The Armory, a 250,000-square-foot (23,225 sqm) complex at 3660 Market Street and 500 Prospect Avenue in the Midtown area of St. Louis, was built in 1938 to house the 138th Infantry Missouri National Guard Armory. It later housed the St. Louis Tennis Club, national bowling tournaments, indoor sports leagues, and rock concerts. Vacant for some 20 years, it was turned into an indoor entertainment venue in 2022, but closed again in 2024.
St. Louis had recently been considering a moratorium on new data center developments. However, a new executive order will instead bring closer scrutiny to new developments, bringing in a new framework that will consider aspects around job creation, expected power and water use, distance from nearby neighborhoods, and noise pollution.
Aldermen President Megan Green recently said, however, a temporary ban on data center proposals is not off the table if concerns about the projects are not answered.
“The executive order was issued in lieu of a moratorium, and I and several colleagues remain open to that option should community concerns remain unaddressed,” Green said in a statement. “If we are serious about inclusive growth, we must make decisions with, not just for, the communities we serve.”
Green said dozens of residents had reached out to her about the Armory project, with concerns about transparency and environmental impact, as well as energy prices and the impact on the local community.
Nearby St. Charles issued a one-year moratorium on data center projects last month.
Source: DCD
