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Post8:42 PM - Jun 08#426

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. 

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Post11:12 PM - Jun 08#427

So confident yet so completely wrong. Never change.

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Post11:43 PM - Jun 08#428

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

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Post4:44 AM - Jun 09#429

gone corporate wrote:
8:42 PM - Jun 08
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.)

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Post5:38 AM - Jun 09#430

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

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Post2:10 PM - Jun 09#431

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

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Post4:01 PM - Jun 09#432

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

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Post7:03 PM - Jun 09#433

Trololzilla wrote:
5:38 AM - Jun 09
^ 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.  

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Post7:51 PM - Jun 09#434

“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/

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Post5:30 AM - Jun 10#435

dredger wrote:
7:03 PM - Jun 09
Trololzilla wrote:
5:38 AM - Jun 09
^ 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.  
Sure, but at least with something like an apartment complex, you're getting other tax revenue by the people that move in that pay income and sales taxes. As it stands, the tax abated data centers do nothing but take up land (without much or any pay), cause pollution, suck up utilities, and don't really provide many jobs. 

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Post6:09 PM - Jun 11#436


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Post7:58 PM - Jun 11#437

BarryGlick wrote:
6:09 PM - Jun 11
Amazon Says Its Data Centers Use 2.5 Billion Gallons of Water
https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/amazon-says-data-centers-2-130000972.html
Doesn't it take like way more water to grow vegetables or grow meat?

We use water for things. We use it make other things that are better. 

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Post8:10 PM - Jun 11#438

mjbais1489 wrote:
7:58 PM - Jun 11
BarryGlick wrote:
6:09 PM - Jun 11
Amazon Says Its Data Centers Use 2.5 Billion Gallons of Water
https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/technology/articles/amazon-says-data-centers-2-130000972.html
Doesn't it take like way more water to grow vegetables or grow meat?

We use water for things. We use it make other things that are better. 
 Well, we need to eat food.  We don't need to push everything to AI and optimize SVA for AWS.

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Post8:15 PM - Jun 11#439

Push to ban large-scale data center development in St. Louis fails as zoning rules head to aldermen
https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2026-06-11/ban-large-scale-data-center-development-st-louis-fails-zoning-rules-aldermen

Post1:01 PM - Jun 24#440

Some Electricians Think Building Data Centers Is for Sellouts
Big Tech is throwing big money into data center buildouts. As national opposition to the facilities grows, some workers are beginning to question whether it’s worth it.

https://www.wired.com/story/data-center ... lling-out/

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Post3:27 AM - Jul 01#441

https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... layco.html

Festus' $6 billion data center is being shrunk by 40%.

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Post2:50 AM - 19 days ago#442

Time for city to bulldoze and redevelop some of the north riverfront industrial space for data centers.   

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Post12:16 PM - 19 days ago#443

My recent bike ride had me going on the riverfront trail for the first time.  It was a bit depressing after biking other trails to see several abandoned and neglected empty warehouses on the north riverfront.  It does need soemething.

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Post7:29 PM - 18 days ago#444

BOA Pres Deep Dive on Data Centers 

https://mailchi.mp/7a49824ae1b7/deep-di ... 4b438cbeb3
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

For the last year, the Planning Commission has been hard at work developing a regulatory framework for data centers in St. Louis City. A few weeks ago, they officially sent proposed regulations to the Board of Aldermen. Knowing this issue is novel and complex, the Board has held several committee hearings, but the bill has yet to be voted on.

In this issue of Deep Dive, I want to provide some background on the data center issue. What is a data center? Why are they so controversial? What’s my position on the issue? And then I’ll provide an overview of the Planning Commission’s proposed regulations and how the Board has amended them. Continued....

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Post11:58 AM - 17 days ago#445

‘We are screwed’: People near data centers dread heat wave pollution 
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/01/data-center-boom-collides-with-record-heat-testing-power-grid-00983009

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Post7:58 PM - 6 days ago#446

New York state is issuing a moratorium on new data center construction.

St. Charles County approved a 6-month data center moratorium.

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Post12:15 PM - 6 days ago#447

Politico: GOP governors, utilities join Trump data center pledge. “Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe have all signed the White House’s so-called Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a set of principles committing data center developers to pay for their fair share of energy and water use, along with electric grid improvements and maintenance, according to officials in each state. Electric utilities are also expected to sign the pledge, according to seven people familiar with the plans.” I’d rather a law than a pledge.      https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/14/gop-governors-utilities-join-trump-data-center-pledge-00998098

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Post2:33 PM - 5 days ago#448

BarryGlick wrote:
12:15 PM - 6 days ago
Politico: GOP governors, utilities join Trump data center pledge. “Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe have all signed the White House’s so-called Ratepayer Protection Pledge, a set of principles committing data center developers to pay for their fair share of energy and water use, along with electric grid improvements and maintenance, according to officials in each state. Electric utilities are also expected to sign the pledge, according to seven people familiar with the plans.” I’d rather a law than a pledge.      https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/14/gop-governors-utilities-join-trump-data-center-pledge-00998098
They're doing the same fake BS in the healthcare field, pledging to voluntarily reform bad practices to placate the rubes and avoid actual regulation.

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Post10:00 PM - 2 days ago#449

Data centers have united Americans of both parties in a shared hatred
Feeling ignored by political and economic powers, people are rallying against computer hubs over concerns about their communities’ future.
https://archive.ph/gCFwJ

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Post12:56 PM - 1 day ago#450

I hope those apposed are getting paid by China for spreading their propaganda for then. 

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