City of Festus officials announced they will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, March 30, at Festus High School, 501 Westwind Drive, to possibly vote on a data center development agreement with developer CRG. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
The date of the special meeting had previously been announced, but the time was not announced until today, March 27.
CRG of St. Louis announced in late 2025 its plan to develop a data center on property north of Hwy. 67. The announcement soon became a source of controversy, with a significant number of individuals and groups speaking out against the project, while others have come out for it.
City officials said in a written statement today the city is registering names of those who wish to speak at the special meeting, but it will not be known until the meeting if they will be allowed to speak.
City Clerk Leah Smith said she is sending people who request to speak the following response: “I have received your request to speak at the March 30 special meeting of the Festus City Council. Public comment at a special meeting is only permitted by Festus ordinance upon a motion to add an item to the agenda that must be approved by (three-fourths) of the City Council. Mayor (Sam) Richards intends to make a motion to allow for a period of public comment. If that motion is approved by the council, you will be on the list of speakers.”
For more information, visit cityoffestusmo.gov.
Data center opposition to hold town hall meeting Sunday
Wake Up Jeffco, a group opposing the data center project, has scheduled a community town hall meeting for 1-3 p.m. Sunday at American Legion Post 253, 849 American Legion Drive, Festus.
According to a flyer posted for the meeting, its purpose is to give the “latest update on hyperscale data center.”
Lori Merriman of Wake Up Jeffco said attorney Steve Jeffery is scheduled to answer questions, and candidates for the Festus City Council on the April 7 ballot have been invited to attend.
For more information, visit the Wake Up Jeffco page on Facebook.
Ordinance on agreement with CRG
As has been previously reported through a statement from Richards issued March 20, he describes the CRG development project as a $6 billion initial investment in the community.
The city has negotiated a commitment from CRG to not request real property tax abatement for the data center and there will be no cap or abatement on the city’s utility taxes, Richards said. In turn, the city has agreed to support the developer’s application to the Jefferson County Port Authority for partial personal property tax abatement, he said.
For those who live closest to the project, he said, the city would establish a voluntary buyout program to be administered by CRG for 11 houses on Glenkee Court and one other house to the north of the property.
The ordinance to approve an infrastructure development and funding agreement with CRG Acquisition, Bill 4876, to be considered by the City Council on Monday, in addition to some of the information described above includes the following points.
• The developer has acquired or has contracts to acquire approximately 361 acres north of Hwy. 67 in Festus for the development of a new data center project and intends to invest a minimum of $6 billion in construction costs and personal property during the first project phase.
• Developer is to make community development payments to the city of $3 million per year for a period of five years, then $5 million per year for the following five years so long as the development receives Port Authority property tax abatements.
• Developer to comply with all current local, state and federal environmental standards.
• Developer will enter into a binding agreement with Ameren Missouri that ensures the developer is responsible for all energy usage and expanded energy structure.
• All water and sewer improvement and mains required by the developer are to be paid by the developer.
• Developer agrees to purchase water exclusively from the city to the extent the city can supply at volumes and pressures as determined by the parties’ mutual engineering consultants, required for the development and by the date needed to meet the developer’s building out schedule.
• Developer agrees to not build private wells and all water infrastructure constructed by developer shall meet the city’s existing standards for flow and pressure.
• All required additional infrastructure or plant upgrades/expansion for the city and the Jefferson County Water Authority and related costs shall be paid by the developer subject to mutual review and approval of scope of cost.
• Developer agrees to meet all sewage discharge requirements.
• Developer agrees to use advance cooling technologies, work in good faith with the city to make the project acceptable to both parties, with no adverse impact to the city’s water supply as determined by the city’s engineering consultant.
• Developer shall comply with all applicable noise and light city ordinances.
• Hwy. 67 will serve as the primary construction access route for the project and Hwy. CC will serve as the secondary access route.
• The developer will fund necessary street and traffic improvements subject to mutual review of scope and cost.
• The voluntary buyout program eligible properties were identified by the developer through a site proximity analysis of residential homes within 1,000 feet of the project area. The purchase prices to be based on fair market value as of June 1, 2025.
• The developer intends to maintain the ridge line and tree buffer along the ridge near Glenkee/Ashford Place.