By Pauline Masson –
Speakers at the May 5 board of aldermen (BOA) meeting show that the proposed data center on the Cooked Creek farm near pacific is still in the works – even though Franklin County denied a rezoning request for the project.
Three speakers, Corbett Shannon, Jessica Nicodimo and Dana Bowers pleaded with aldermen Tuesday evening to find a way to shut the proposed data center down once and for all.
But officials pointed out it is not that simple.
City attorney Stephanie Karr said the city has a few options – only a few.
Any entity can petition government for use of their property, the attorney said, and Beltline has made an application to Pacific. The BOA must act on that application.
The application had been set for a February 25, public hearing before the planning and zoning commission (P&Z). Beltline asked to table the public hearing because they had not been able to finalize a funding agreement that the city wanted to pay experts to evaluate the impact of the project on the community. The city was asking for $20,000 to pay experts in various fields.
The data center developer turned instead to Franklin County to rezone the property for approval as a county development. Franklin County P&Z denied the request to okay the project.
Now, Mr. Shannon, Ms Nicodimo and Ms Bowers say the public needs to know where this stands. They were unanimous in wanting the data center denied in Pacific.
Mayor Debbie Kelley said Beltline has not been in contact with Pacific officials since it withdrew from the February 25 public hearing and turned to Franklin County for help.
But the application is still in the works, the city attorney stressed, and the applicant must be heard, and their request voted up or down.
According to the description by Beltline spokesman Ryan Sanders, the firm wants to construct the Meramec Valley Technology Park, a sixteen building complex that would put on 200 megawatts of low generation large load every year. Once fully operation, he said, the center would employ 30 to 40 people in jobs paying an average of $120,000 a year.
He also noted the center would use City of Pacific waste water to cool the computers and would pay to improve the city’s sewage lagoon and system. No details were included on what work would be done at the lagoon or what the cost would be.
The project was scheduled for the public hearing before P&Z. But after the public loudly voiced concerns about air and sound pollution, Meramec River safety, water usage, and affect on private electric bills aldermen said they needed outside experts to review the project before approving it. They asked Beltline to pay $20.000 for a list of experts to evaluate the project.
Beltline opted to skip the public hearing and go to Franklin County.
Now, if they choose to continue with the project the must come back to Pacific, first to P&Z and then the BOA. Both would hold public hearings.
At the May 5 meeting, aldermen said they were baffled by Beltline’s lack of communication about the firm’s wishes for the future of the data center. They said Beltline needed to move forward or withdraw from the project within a reasonable time.
Aldermen asked the city administrator to contact the developer and notify them that they need to reschedule the P&Z public hearing within 90 days. And the city still requires the $20,000 for expert review of the project.
Mr. Litterell sent the following communication to Beltline.
I am reaching out regarding your two applications for rezoning for purposes of two separate Planned Unit Developments (PUD). These matters were set for public hearing and consideration at a February 25 special meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission but were tabled at that meeting at your request. The Pacific Board of Alderman have directed to me to reach out and inquire about your plans for pursuing these applications given that the city has not received any updates or a request to reschedule your hearing.
If you want to withdraw the applications, please let us know in writing and reference both the McLaren application and the Alt application.
If you plan to pursue these applications, please confirm and I will coordinate a date for public hearing and consideration by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Please note the following requirements and the timelines associated with removing the applications from the table, public hearing, and consideration by the Commission:
• Public hearing at planning and zoning will require 15 days’ notice in the local paper and letters (at the cost of the application) will need to be resent to all owners of property within 250′ feet of the subject properties in addition to posting of notice on the subject property
• Once planning and zoning votes on a recommendation, the application will then go to the Board of Aldermen for two readings and another public hearing (the same notice requirements will apply and the applicant is responsible for the costs of such notice)
This total process can take 60+ days. The Board believes that the Planning and Zoning Commission process should be accomplished within the next 90 days with Board review occurring shortly thereafter.
We would appreciate an update at your earliest convenience.
Now we wait for Beltline to signal their next step.
Someone said it on the Pacific Community FB Forum. You can change the players (Elected Officials) but you can’t change the game (the laws by which all elected officials are bound to follow) and this proves I was correct (Yes that was me that everyone disagreed with….I said it months ago)
The county proposal had not yet been voter on by the Commission. Hence the holding pattern as of May 8.
You mentioned twice that the county has voted the proposal down. However that is not true. The county P&Z has only recommended to deny the proposal. It still needs to go before the county commissioners to be voted on.