urbanSTL

So confident yet so completely wrong. Never change.

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5 ways data centers endanger their local communities and the country as a whole
https://theconversation.com/5-ways-data-centers-endanger-their-local-communities-and-the-country-as-a-whole-282348

gone corporate wrote: ↑

8:42 PM - 1 day ago

Heck y'all, we're losing population and therefore tax revenues. Meanwhile, data centers can pay a whole lot into tax coffers. It's becoming less and option and more of a necessity based on demographics. 

I'm not sure population loss necessarily equates to tax loss. Kids don't pay a lot of taxes, for instance. There's not really a tax on people.

All that said, how much tax revenue will these facilities really bring in anyway? They're not likely to raise the property values much, so I don't imagine they'll result in a big net increase in real estate taxes. They don't employ many people, so you won't get a lot of payroll tax out of them. They're not going to provide sales taxes. Exactly what taxes are we going to get from them? Keep the land productive. Get some real estate tax if you can. But let's not kid ourselves, these aren't likely to lay any golden eggs. So sure, allow them to go up in appropriately zoned areas as long as they satisfy reasonable safety and emission standards. As long as they can be good neighbors. (And right now, I'm a little concerned on that front.) But in a lot of ways, this really is something that can go out in the middle of nowhere. No real need to be close to anything except telecoms and power. (And a real need to be far away from things it might otherwise damage.)

I am very curious what % of the tax dollars promised vs collected is going to look like on these data centers after ten years. These giant numbers are all flouted by the companies building them and I've not really seen much independent analysis.

Many I am sure will find a way around these taxes eventually as well

^Correct. They expect us to pay for the vast digital prison they're constructing for us.

Trololzilla wrote: ↑

5:38 AM - 1 day ago

^ Realistically only property taxes. But if they all get property tax abatements to get built, then there's no point.

You could argue that most new development in the city is getting some form of tax abatement and a lot of times break on city sales taxes for certain building materials.  But also, the taxes collected on the abatement is still greater than what is being paid now on what is empty lots or defunct properties with little or no assessed value.   In addition, securing investment on property that will be paying/generating more tax revenues when abatement expires another win.  

Once again, my argument is St. Louis is land rich.   Can't support a lot lot of development and this is one niche in an old industrial area that once again has a lot space and relatively minimal investment over decades.  

“We pissed off a lot of people”: Giant data center plan cut 50% amid protests
Developer felt “beaten up,” with “no choice” but to shrink data center.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/06/we-pissed-off-a-lot-of-people-giant-data-center-plan-cut-50-amid-protests/