On Monday, June 8th, the City of St. Joseph released information regarding a potential data center at 6321 Pickett Road near St. Joseph.
Recently, a landowner approached the city asking to have 130 acres of property annexed into the city. This project is much smaller than the one near Maryville, which is 800-900 acres. The landowner informed the city that the property is being considered for a potential data center development. City staff has requested additional information about the use of this land. To date, they continue to wait for this information.
No tax incentives have been offered or requested. The developer has agreed to a community meeting about the project. Representatives from utilities will be present. The tentative date for this meeting will be in mid-July. No non-disclosure agreements have been signed between the city and the developer.
The question of annexation is separate from the future use of the property. Under city ordinances, annexation determines whether the property becomes part of the city. Zoning determines what uses may be allowed on the property and what conditions may apply to future development. Unlike Nodaway County, St. Joseph has zoning.
Annexation requests are done in accordance with Missouri law and city ordinances. Approval of annexation does not constitute approval of a specific development project. Any zoning request would undergo a separate review process that includes evaluation of land-use compatibility, infrastructure impacts, utility capacity, environmental considerations, and public comment.
In early April, the city received a petition for annexation of the property in question. Under Missouri law, the city had 60 days to conduct a public hearing on the annexation. That hearing was conducted May 26th. The city does not have any additional hard deadlines it has to meet. The city is, however, required to address the zoning concurrently with the annexation.
Two weeks ago, an application was received from the property owner to have the property rezoned to a manufacturing district. That application will be heard July 23rd by the Planning Commission. The commission makes recommendations and the council can approve or reject them.
The first reading of the rezoning and annexation ordinances in front of the St. Joseph City Council is tentatively set for August 17th, which will include a public hearing. A second and final reading and vote will tentatively be held on August 31st.
The city has requested a full development plan to include wastewater impact, development timelines, an agreement addressing any environmental concerns, and clarity on any other issues.
The project is owned by Capstone Technology Campus. The developer is Atmosphere Data Centers LLC, a California-based data center operator. The end user will be Atmosphere, which is exclusively contracted to be the purchaser. The project is expected to generate over 1,000 construction jobs, 150-200 permanent jobs, and bring in $50 million in tax revenue per year according to the city. The campus will include four data center buildings to start.
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