A $6 billion data center was approved by a Missouri city council despite members of the public filling the bleachers of a gym to express their disapproval.
In a 6-2 vote, the Festus City Council approved an ordinance to create a “framework of requirements” for the data center developer, St. Louis Public Radio reports.
Members of the public filled the Festus High School gym to oppose the data center.
“No data center,” the crowd chanted.
Check it out:
This is literally insane
So many people showed up to oppose a $6 billion dollar data center in Missouri they had to use bleachers
The whole crowd yells and chants they don’t want the data center
Festus City Council voted to approve the data center anyway right in their faces pic.twitter.com/I9xOyK9U4p
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) April 3, 2026
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The ordinance locks in rules the developer must follow if the data center is built, like requiring CRG to pay for infrastructure upgrades to water, sewage and streets.
Around 25 members of the public were allotted five minutes each to comment on the ordinance before the vote.
Lauren Albers lives near the proposed location, three houses down from where CRG has said it will offer buyouts to homeowners. Like many who spoke at the meeting, she said she believed the city council had already made up its mind on the proposal.
“I am not against growth,” she said. “I’m against putting data centers between homes. I am against rushing into development before residents get real information, real answers and a real voice.”
Thirty-nine people signed up to speak, but Mayor Sam Richards cut off public comment after two hours before the council moved the ordinance to a vote.
Staci Templeton and Brian Wehner, council members who represent Festus’ second ward, voted against the ordinance in what many audience members called a “surprise move.”
After the vote, members of the council and representatives of Clayco CRG left through the back doors of the gymnasium as angered residents lined up against a wall of Festus police officers.
“The developer, CRG, a subsidiary of real estate firm Clayco, plans to build the facility on more than 360 acres of wooded land off Highway 67 and County Road CC,” KSDK stated.
Public pushback on the data center proposal has been ongoing for months.
Festus residents push back against potential data center https://t.co/3hxM9nytP5
— FOX2now (@FOX2now) February 10, 2026
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While the vote marks a major step forward for the project, opponents signaled the conflict is far from over.
The financial stakes for the city are substantial. Festus City Attorney Brian Malone said the deal is expected to generate $1.3 billion for the city. A significant portion of that revenue will come from utility taxes tied to the facility’s energy demands.
“There will be no cap on the city’s utility tax. That alone will provide $8 million annually in revenue per year for the city at the start of operation, and that will increase to $22 million per year in 2031 when the center reaches full power usage,” Malone said.
Under the agreement, the developer must offer voluntary buyouts to homeowners living within 1,000 feet of an active data center building. Recent changes to the deal include extending the buyout timeline and placing a cap on the maximum daily water usage.
For residents near the proposed site, the financial incentives offer little comfort. Rozilyn Daniels and her teenage daughter, Mercie Daniels, live on Glenkee Court in a home eligible for a buyout and remain undecided about their future.
“I hate that that is the reality of my life now. I hate how they think of these places as houses and not homes. These are people, and it really affects us,” Rozilyn and Mercie Daniels said.
The project’s timing presents a challenge for Mercie Daniels, who would likely be in her senior year of high school if the family relocates.
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