Unnamed St. Louis Official Texted Planning Chief to Sway Data Center Rules After 1 Vote
Updated
Updated · Qatar Tribune · Aug 24
Unnamed St. Louis Official Texted Planning Chief to Sway Data Center Rules After 1 Vote
2 articles · Updated · Qatar Tribune · Aug 24
Summary
A still-unidentified elected official texted St. Louis planning commission head Don Roe during Wednesday’s meeting, prompting him to ask commissioners to reconsider their vote on data center rules.
The request came hours into the contentious session and after many attendees had left; Roe then recessed the meeting without naming the official, while Mayor Cara Spencer’s office said it was not her.
The commission’s recommendation for tighter restrictions still stands after it rejected the Board of Aldermen’s looser rules last week, setting up a possible override fight at City Hall.
The episode lands amid broader backlash over data centers in Missouri and nationwide, where concerns over power use, noise, pollution and AI have fueled moratoriums and criticism of secretive dealmaking.