urbanSTL

It’s massive
Which is why I questioned the idea of putting a comparatively  tiny one where the Armory is

That 1500 acre data center would take up nearly 4% of land in the city

‘The Most Bipartisan Issue Since Beer’: Opposition to Data Centers
https://archive.ph/20260501224923/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/us/politics/liberals-conservatives-data-centers.html

GoHarvOrGoHome wrote: ↑

2:14 PM - 22 days ago

That 1500 acre data center would take up nearly 4% of land in the city

Perfect!

A major watchdog says data centers are wreaking havoc on North America's power grid

https://www.businessinsider.com/nerc-issues-alert-on-data-centers-threatening-grid-stability-2026-5

Does anyone have an argument against building data centers? I've read the past couple months posts and I can't find a good reason for why we should not build them. 

I think there’s a lot of hysteria around AI and data centers right now, but there are also some legitimate concerns that shouldn’t just be dismissed. If you actually map out what would need to happen for AI to generate the kind of returns investors are expecting, the energy demand becomes staggering. At the scale being discussed, the power requirements are beyond what we currently produce today, even if electricity wasn’t being used for everything else in the economy.

And it’s not just generation capacity. The sheer amount of electrical infrastructure required for large-scale data centers like transformers, switchgear, substations, backup systems, transmission upgrades, cooling equipment, and specialized chips is already creating supply backlogs. Utilities, developers, manufacturers, and even public infrastructure projects are all competing for the same limited pool of electrical equipment and skilled labor.

That has real downstream effects. When lead times for transformers go from months to years, or when utilities prioritize massive industrial loads over smaller projects, it impacts residential construction, commercial development, factory expansion, and public infrastructure upgrades. Prices rise because demand is outpacing the industry’s ability to manufacture and deploy equipment fast enough.

I still think AI is real and transformational long term, but there’s a legitimate question about whether the physical infrastructure needed to support the current investment wave can actually be built at the pace the market is assuming.

jay23 wrote:Does anyone have an argument against building data centers? I've read the past couple months posts and I can't find a good reason for why we should not build them. 

Argument in STL city is more about location. No one would care if they built it in an industrial wasteland part of the city, people care when it goes in the middle of arguably the most booming part of the city, adjacent to rapid transit, the busiest bus line, a $10M addition to the greenway, and inside a building that had a subsidized redevelopment not even 10 years ago.

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For the record, the Armory Building itself won’t become a Data Center. It’s slated to become office, as was Green Street’s original intent. The Data Center will go on the parcel occupied by the Famous Barr Warehouse.

But yes, putting it on the north riverfront, off Hall Street in particular, no one would really care. City would get whatever tax revenue and the data center “need” is fulfilled.

Chris Stritzel wrote:For the record, the Armory Building itself won’t become a Data Center. It’s slated to become office, as was Green Street’s original intent. The Data Center will go on the parcel occupied by the Famous Barr Warehouse.

But yes, putting it on the north riverfront, off Hall Street in particular, no one would really care. City would get whatever tax revenue and the data center “need” is fulfilled.

They need to get a out-of-city company to sign on to fill the space. If that can happen, I may be supportive. Need that first though, and I have high doubts on it happening.

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I bet the armory never becomes an office building

dbInSouthCity wrote:I bet the armory never becomes an office building

My bet too.

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Thirded.  It didn't catch on the first plan so I doubt it takes off anywhere.  And that was pre-covid.

Then more floated phase 2 in the slide deck.

Then where do we sit?

It’s not because it won’t catch on, they have a legitimate tenant that’s ready to take it

dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑

11:19 AM - 19 days ago

It’s not because it won’t catch on, they have a legitimate tenant that’s ready to take it

Oh?  Would this tenant be office or other?

They were seriously considering like 3 months ago but now are totally uninterested? I bet. Where did they go? Where are they looking now?

The Foundry can get away with not fulfilling office build out because they built hundreds of apartments, significant retail, minor office, and a large food hall. Not a data center entirely based on pie in the sky property tax promises.

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Pre covid

dbInSouthCity wrote:Pre covid

So almost 10 years ago? Lmao.

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According to meeting minutes from St. Clair County Economic Development Committee, TRRA is in discussions with a data center developer for some of its property in East St. Louis. 
https://www.co.st-clair.il.us/webdocume ... 11:02%20AM

^Sounds like a great place for such a development. Excess, underutilized land along noisy heavy infrastructure, not in a residential area. Curious to see their proposal.

According to a new poll, more Americans would rather live next to a nuclear power plant than a data center. 
https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx

^I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that a nuclear power station is quieter and produces less heat pollution.