ST. LOUIS, MO – August 28, 2026 (STL.News) St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer has confirmed that discussions are underway involving another potential data center development in north St. Louis, even as city officials move closer to adopting comprehensive regulations governing where and how future data centers can operate.
Spencer discussed the issue Friday during an extended interview with KSDK, following action by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Board Bill 49, legislation designed to establish citywide zoning regulations specifically for data centers. In the interview, Spencer also indicated that she is prepared to sign the legislation once it completes the remaining approval process.
Confirmation of discussions about another north St. Louis data center adds a significant new dimension to the city’s ongoing debate over the rapidly expanding industry.
Details about the potential project remain limited. The developer, exact location, size, investment amount, and potential power requirements have not been publicly identified. The fact that discussions are taking place, however, demonstrates that the city’s data center debate is not simply about preparing for hypothetical projects years into the future.
St. Louis is already attracting interest from data center developers.
St. Louis moves toward permanent data center rules
The Board of Aldermen on Friday perfected Board Bill 49 following months of hearings, amendments and public discussion.
The city said the legislation passed 13 -1, with one abstention. Because the Board amended the proposal, it is scheduled to return to the St. Louis Planning Commission on Sept. 9 to consider the changes. City officials anticipate a third reading and final passage by the Board of Aldermen on Sept. 11.
Board Bill 49 is sponsored by Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer and co-sponsored by several aldermen, including Bret Narayan, Alisha Sonnier, Michael Browning, Shameem Clark Hubbard and Board President Megan Green.
If ultimately approved and signed by Spencer, the measure would add comprehensive data center regulations to the city’s zoning code.
The legislation is intended to establish clearer rules governing where data centers can operate while addressing issues associated with large facilities, including electricity consumption, noise, lighting and compatibility with surrounding communities.
The mayor’s office described the proposal as an attempt to balance economic development with environmental sustainability and neighborhood protections.
“This bill is the result of a year-long intensive effort to tackle this complex and contentious topic head-on,” Spencer said in a statement issued Friday.
Spencer said cooperation among city officials, aldermen, residents, industry representatives, sustainability advocates and labor stakeholders helped produce the regulatory framework.
“We can attract responsible investment while simultaneously upholding our high standards for environmental sustainability and neighborhood protection,” Spencer said.
Why St. Louis is regulating data centers
St. Louis’ effort to regulate the industry accelerated after Spencer issued Executive Order 92 on Sept. 19, 2025.
Before that executive order, the city had no zoning regulations written specifically for data centers. Existing zoning rules generally treated the facilities as either offices or warehouses, despite the substantial differences between a conventional warehouse and a large computing facility.
Modern data centers can contain enormous numbers of servers and related computing equipment operating around the clock. Large facilities can require substantial electrical infrastructure as well as cooling systems, backup generators, and other equipment that can affect surrounding properties.
Spencer’s executive order established interim requirements while directing city departments to research regulatory approaches used elsewhere and develop permanent recommendations.
The Planning and Urban Design Agency subsequently worked with the city’s Zoning Section, Office of Sustainability, Office of Building Performance, Water Division, Health Department and other agencies on the proposed framework.
Public interest has been substantial.
More than 120 people participated either in person or online in a February Planning Commission hearing concerning the proposed regulations, according to the city. More than 50 people provided comments.
Among the city’s stated goals are creating predictable standards for developers, distinguishing between different sizes of data centers, restricting larger facilities primarily to industrial areas, establishing separation from sensitive uses, mitigating noise and emissions, and encouraging more efficient use of electricity and water.
Those issues could become particularly important if another major project moves forward in north St. Louis.
St. Louis already has a major data center project
The potential north St. Louis development would emerge as the city deals with another large project.
In April, the St. Louis Board of Public Service unanimously approved a conditional use permit for a data center planned for the former Famous-Barr warehouse property.
The city attached numerous conditions to that approval covering issues including noise, sustainability, walkability, electricity and water consumption.
Among the requirements, the developer must use a closed-loop cooling system and air-cooled chillers intended to minimize water consumption. The city also required the developer to pay future large-load or data center-specific water rates established through a cost-of-service study and address detrimental impacts identified through hydraulic modeling.
Spencer has repeatedly argued that St. Louis should remain open to data center investment while requiring developers to demonstrate benefits for residents.
“St. Louis is already home to 12 data centers,” Spencer said when the Famous-Barr project received its conditional permit in April, noting that the facilities support sectors including geospatial technology, finance and health care.
The administration has also emphasized the potential tax benefits.
According to city estimates for the Famous-Barr project, the development is expected to generate about $432.3 million in tax revenue over 10 years. The revenue would be distributed among the city, St. Louis Public Schools and other public entities and services.
Those potential revenues help explain why the debate over data centers is more complicated than deciding whether to permit the facilities.
They can represent enormous private investment and expand the local tax base, but their infrastructure requirements can also create questions about electricity, water, land use, noise and their long-term impact on surrounding neighborhoods.
North St. Louis could become the next test
Spencer’s confirmation that talks are underway concerning another north St. Louis project could make that proposal one of the first major tests of the city’s evolving regulatory strategy.
At this stage, there is not enough publicly available information to determine the scale of the proposed development or how it would compare with the Famous-Barr project.
No developer has been publicly identified in connection with Spencer’s comments, and city officials have not announced an address or development schedule.
That distinction is important. Discussions about a potential development do not mean a project has been approved or will ultimately be built.
Nevertheless, the timing is notable.
St. Louis is trying to establish permanent rules at essentially the same time developers are showing interest in building facilities in the city.
The city says its objective is to create a predictable process so developers understand requirements before committing to projects while residents have clearer information about how proposed facilities will be evaluated.
For north St. Louis, the economic-development implications could be significant.
Large portions of north St. Louis contain industrial properties and redevelopment sites that could potentially accommodate major projects. Data centers can require substantial capital investment, even though the number of permanent employees associated with them may differ considerably from traditional manufacturing or large office developments.
That makes tax revenue, infrastructure demands and community benefits particularly important considerations when city officials evaluate individual proposals.
What happens next
Board Bill 49 still must complete the legislative process before becoming law.
The Planning Commission is expected to review amendments to the bill on Sept. 9. The Board of Aldermen is then expected to consider the measure for final passage on Sept. 11.
Spencer’s comments indicate that the mayor is prepared to sign the legislation if it reaches her desk.
Under St. Louis’ legislative process, a Board Bill becomes an ordinance after the Board of Aldermen adopts it and the mayor approves it.
The city is also considering other legislation related to data centers. Board Bill 48 concerns environmental impact monitoring, while Board Bill 55 addresses data center incentives.
Together, the measures show how St. Louis officials are trying to address several sides of the issue — zoning, environmental impacts, and economic development.
The emerging north St. Louis proposal could make those policies immediately relevant.
Until additional information becomes public, major questions remain unanswered: Who is behind the proposed project? Where would it be built? How large would it be? How much electricity and water would it require? What tax revenue could it generate? And what community benefits would city officials seek in exchange for supporting the development?
Spencer’s interview establishes one important fact: interest in another St. Louis data center is no longer merely theoretical.
Discussions are underway, and they are happening as St. Louis prepares to set the rules that could determine how the city’s next generation of data centers is developed.
Sources: City of St. Louis Office of the Mayor, St. Louis Board of Aldermen, St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency, and KSDK.
