Proposed hyperscale campus · 360 acres · Hwy 67 & Hwy CC
The Festus Data Center is a proposed hyperscale campus that would deliver an estimated $1.3 billion in property taxes, utility taxes, and community benefit payments to the City of Festus over 25 years — built by the region's union construction workforce, with the developer carrying the cost of new water, sewer, and energy infrastructure.
This site presents the project's facts, current legal and political status, and how residents, press, and policymakers can stay informed.
Key terms drawn from the infrastructure development agreement (Bill No. 4876, approved March 30, 2026) and the MarksNelson financial model attached to the Mayor's public statement. Sources.
Developer: CRG, the real estate and development arm of St. Louis-based Clayco. Executive Chairman: Bob Clark. No end-user tenant has been publicly identified. The 360-acre figure reflects the parcel rezoned and covered by Bill 4876; an unofficial LinkedIn analysis has cited a broader ~674-acre, ~902 MW, four-building campus — treat that figure as speculative until CRG releases an official site plan.
A CBRE study cited in the report finds a $1 billion data center can generate over $200 million in total tax revenue across a 10-year period. The City of Festus's own financial modeling projects an average of $25 million annually to the city from this project alone — without granting a real property tax abatement.
Data centers are capital-intensive but generate minimal traffic and almost no new school enrollment, producing tax revenue out of proportion to the city services they consume.
Festus sits roughly 35 miles south of St. Louis, near existing power and fiber. The St. Louis region already hosts Netrality, TierPoint, H5, and LightEdge facilities — Festus extends that footprint south into Jefferson County.
CRG and Clayco have indicated the project will be built by the region's skilled trades and union construction workforce. The IBEW International's official position supports data center development paired with strong labor standards: Project Labor Agreements, registered apprenticeship, and responsible bidder requirements.
CRG / Clayco
No architect of record, civil/structural engineer, or mechanical/electrical engineer has been named — consistent with the project being in the pre-permit, pre-design phase and with no end-user tenant yet announced. Per Mayor Sam Richards' public statements, CRG is required to hold two public open houses between the time it has final plans and the moment dirt moves — additional team details should emerge at that stage.
A pro-investment posture is compatible with an honest accounting of what residents have raised. The items below are drawn directly from the resource guide, including peer-reviewed research it cites. Where the development agreement commits to a mitigation, we say so — and where it does not, we mark it clearly.
Hyperscale data centers can use 3–7 million gallons per day for cooling (peer-reviewed 2025 PMC study cited in the report). Festus residents have noted the asymmetry of being asked to install low-flow fixtures while a single facility could consume far more.
Agreement commitment: CRG funds all water and sewer infrastructure upgrades. Specific daily consumption and cooling technology are [MISSING from the report].
Generators and HVAC systems can reach 85–100+ decibels; the report cites internal noise of 96 dBA in published research, and low-frequency noise that can travel 2.5–3 miles. The proposed site is approximately 500 feet from some homes.
Agreement commitment: [MISSING — no specific dBA limit, setback, or barrier requirement appears in the report's summary of Bill 4876. Recommend developer publish a noise study and a contractual nighttime dBA cap at the property line.]
Virginia Commonwealth University research cited in the report observed increases in carbon monoxide (+196%), nitrous oxide (+111%), and particulate matter (+139%) near data centers between 2015–2023, primarily from backup diesel generators. All-night security lighting can also affect sleep and wildlife.
Agreement commitment: [MISSING — no specific air-quality monitoring, generator-runtime, or lighting-design requirement appears in the agreement summary. Recommend a published air-monitoring plan and dark-sky compliant fixtures.]
The site borders existing residential neighborhoods; some homes are ~500 feet away. Residents have raised property value concerns.
Agreement commitment: A voluntary buyout program for residents on Glenkee Court and other eligible homes closest to the site.
Days before the March 30 vote, a Festus resident asked police to investigate claims of historic gravesites dating to the 1800s — including what some residents describe as a slave cemetery — on the proposed development site. Police were confirmed to be investigating; residents have been directed to the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office.
Status: Not publicly resolved as of the report.
Construction will create significant short-term work. Once operational, industry-standard hyperscale facilities employ roughly 30–80 permanent staff. The development agreement cites 200 direct operational jobs; critics in the report consider that figure optimistic.
Recommended developer commitment: publish a third-party staffing plan with local-hire targets.
Governor Kehoe signed Senate Bill 4 in April 2025; supporters say it protects ratepayers by requiring large-load customers to pay their own energy costs in specific circumstances, and note Missouri's electricity rate growth has run below the national average (2.2¢/kWh vs. 4.0¢/kWh over the past five years). The Missouri Consumers Council and Missouri Coalition for the Environment argue SB 4 only applies above 100 MW and may not be sufficient consumer-protection legislation. The Festus development agreement separately states CRG's energy costs will not be passed to Festus residents.
As of . The project is legally approved but politically and legally contested.
| Track | Status | What that means | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning | Complete | Festus City Council rezoned the parcel on Nov 27, 2025; one active lawsuit asks the court to invalidate that vote. | Awaiting court action in Wake Up Jeffco v. City of Festus & CRG. |
| Development agreement | Complete | Bill No. 4876 approved 6–2 on March 30, 2026; signed by the Mayor before the April 7 election. | Same lawsuit also seeks to invalidate this agreement. |
| Construction | Not started | No construction has begun; no end-user tenant has been publicly announced. | CRG to publish site plan and operator identity. |
| Environmental review | Unknown | [MISSING — formal environmental review status is not characterized in the report.] | Request air, water, and noise study release from CRG and the city. |
| Public hearings | Held | Multiple public meetings; March 23, 2026 town hall at Festus High School; March 30 council vote. | Attend the Governor's Forum on AI & Data Centers, June 18, 2026. |
| Pre-construction open houses | Required | Per Mayor Richards, CRG must hold two open houses between final plans and moving dirt — dates TBA. | Watch for CRG's site plan release; open houses will be scheduled after that. |
| Litigation | Active | Cordova v. City of Festus (Jefferson County); Wake Up Jeffco v. City of Festus & CRG (St. Louis County). No trial dates set in the Wake Up Jeffco case. | Monitor docket; both cases shape the project's path. |
| Recall effort | Failed | On June 9, 2026, the City Council voted 4–3 to reject holding special recall elections for the Mayor and three council members. | Opposition groups have pledged a "Plan B" — details not yet public. |
| Council composition | Changed | The April 7, 2026 election ousted all four pro-incumbents on the ballot; Ward 2 seat vacant after Templeton's late-April resignation. | Watch council votes on suspension or modification of the agreement. |
Near-term public date: Governor's Forum on AI and Data Centers — June 18, 2026, Missouri S&T, Rolla. Free; registration at ai.mst.edu/governorsforum.
A short education hub with FAQs, a glossary of terms, and links to neutral, authoritative resources.
Per Bill 4876, CRG is responsible for the project's energy costs, and the agreement states those costs "will not be passed on to Festus and its surrounding areas." At the state level, Senate Bill 4 (2025) was enacted to require large-load customers to pay their own energy costs in certain circumstances; consumer advocates including the Missouri Consumers Council argue SB 4's 100 MW threshold leaves loopholes for smaller campuses. Ameren's proposed large data center rate is currently before the Missouri Public Service Commission.
The report does not state Festus-specific consumption. Peer-reviewed research it cites (PMC, 2025) finds hyperscale facilities can use 3–7 million gallons per day for cooling, depending on the cooling technology chosen. Closed-loop air cooling and the dry-cooling technology Google publicly committed to in its Montgomery County, Missouri project use less water than evaporative systems. CRG has not publicly stated which approach it will use.
Construction: the report cites 1,000+ construction jobs during the build phase. Permanent operations: the development agreement cites 200 direct operational jobs; critics quoted in the report note that industry-standard hyperscale operations employ 30–80 permanent staff and that highly paid roles often go to outside contractors or remote staff. The construction jobs are concrete and near-term; the permanent figure deserves a published staffing plan.
As of June 2026 the project is legally approved, with the development agreement and rezoning both passed and signed. Two lawsuits — Cordova (Jefferson County) and Wake Up Jeffco (St. Louis County) — seek to invalidate the votes on Missouri Sunshine Law grounds. The project's ultimate fate likely depends on the courts.
CRG and Clayco have publicly affirmed they will use the region's union construction workforce, though the development agreement does not specifically mandate a Project Labor Agreement. The IBEW International's data center policy calls for PLAs, registered apprenticeships, and responsible bidder requirements; the report cites a comparable Missouri project in Independence negotiating an 85% local Building Trades target.
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