May 3, 2026
Missouri Data Centers.
Est. 2026 · Independent
Tracking every proposed hyperscale data center across Missouri's 114 counties and St. Louis City.
Missouri / Jasper County
County Report

Jasper County

Two data center projects. Wildwood Ranch: 600 acres rezoned from R-1 residential to M-2 heavy industrial after a 7-hour Joplin City Council meeting. Geronimo Power (Minnesota): hyperscale + solar park in unincorporated eastern Jasper County near La Russell Energy Center. County has no zoning laws in unincorporated areas. ~50 residents rallied at City Hall May 1, 2026.

Pop. 123,071 · Southwest Missouri (Joplin Metro) · County seat: Carthage Last updated May 3, 2026
Data Center Risk
71/100
High

Why Jasper County is High risk

Score calculated from four factors: power infrastructure, water capacity, land availability, and current exposure (known projects in the county). Jasper scores 71/100.

Power availability
20/30

Liberty Utilities. La Russell Energy Center provides transmission infrastructure for Geronimo project. Wildwood Ranch grid access via Joplin municipal.

Water capacity
8/15

Spring River / Shoal Creek. Wildwood Ranch water may come from Stockton Lake (Cedar County) — 3 counties away.

Land availability
8/15

600 acres rezoned R-1 to M-2 in single vote. Geronimo targets unincorporated land with no zoning authority.

Current exposure
35/40

2 projects: Wildwood Ranch (rezoned, 200+ MW) and Geronimo Power (hyperscale + solar, early stage). May Day protest at City Hall.

This score is comparative, based on publicly available data across Missouri's 115 counties. Methodology: how we calculate it.
At a Glance

The facts, as filed.

3 active projects
Wildwood Ranch
600 acres rezoned
R-1 → M-2 Heavy Industrial
Developer
Jimmer Pinjuv (local)
Approval
P&Z 6-1, Council approved
7-hour meeting Jan. 20
Geronimo Power
Hyperscale + solar park
Bloomington, MN
Geronimo Location
Near La Russell Energy Center
Unincorporated Jasper County
County Zoning
None in unincorporated areas
Utility
Liberty Utilities
Opposition
Amanda Calderon-Kidston
Rhys Hine (petition)
Elected Officials
Mayor Keenan Cortez
Rep. Ann Kelley, Comm. Jimmy Morris
The Project

Wildwood Ranch, explained.

Wildwood Ranch / Geronimo Power
Approved · In Litigation

In January 2026, the Joplin Planning & Zoning Commission voted 6-1 to recommend rezoning roughly 600 acres of land at the corner of West 20th Street and Central City Road — at the edge of Joplin in Jasper County — from R-1 single-family residential to M-2 heavy industrial. The applicant was Wildwood Ranch, LLC, owned by James "Jimmer" Pinjuv. The City Council approved the rezoning and a 540-acre voluntary annexation on February 17 after a meeting that had to be moved to Missouri Southern State University's Corley Auditorium to handle the crowd.

The named developer is Geronimo Power. The site is described as offering at least 200 MW of capacity. Pinjuv told the commission only about 20 percent of the 4 million sq ft of annexed land would be built on, and that a $200,000 study was needed to confirm Liberty Utilities and the Southwest Power Pool could deliver the power: "Liberty has no excess power. So the end user will pay for more generation. The costs are staggering."

A Joplin attorney, Derek Snyder, has filed suit in Jasper County Circuit Court seeking to void the rezoning. The Joplin Sustainable Technology Alliance (JSTA) failed to gather enough signatures to force a moratorium and is now negotiating a Community Benefit Agreement with the developer.

Timeline

How we got here.

2009
Wildwood Ranch annexation agreement signed. The City of Joplin and Wildwood Ranch sign a tentative annexation agreement covering a 2,000+ acre tract, valid through 2029. The land is identified as a future industrial site in the 2018 Wildwood Acres master plan.
January 12, 2026
Joplin Planning & Zoning votes 6-1 to recommend rezoning. P&Z recommends approval of Wildwood Ranch, LLC's requests to annex 540 acres and rezone roughly 600 acres at 20th Street and Central City Road from R-1 (single-family residential) to M-2 (heavy industrial). Owner Jimmer Pinjuv tells the commission a $200,000 study is required to confirm Liberty Utilities can deliver the power.
January 20, 2026
Seven-hour city council meeting. A first-reading meeting at Joplin City Hall runs more than seven hours as a "rowdy crowd" of hundreds packs the chambers. Mayor Keenan Cortez asks for "a little bit of grace."
February 17, 2026
Joplin City Council formally approves annexation and rezoning. In a meeting moved to Missouri Southern State University's Corley Auditorium to handle the crowds, the council approves voluntary annexation of 540 acres and rezones approximately 600.4 acres to M-2 heavy industrial. Geronimo Power emerges as the developer; project capacity is at least 200 MW.
March 2026
Lawsuit filed. Joplin attorney Derek Snyder and his wife file suit in Jasper County Circuit Court asking a judge to void the rezoning, arguing it was unreasonable, ignored relevant facts, and violated covenants in the original Wildwood Ranch development agreement.
April 2026
Joplin Sustainable Technology Alliance pivots to Community Benefit Agreement. JSTA fails to reach the petition-signature threshold to force a moratorium and shifts strategy to negotiating a Community Benefit Agreement with Geronimo Power, with assistance from Kathy Christy of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment.
May 1, 2026
Joplin City Hall rally. About 50 residents rally at Joplin City Hall calling for a statewide data center moratorium.
What It Means

For residents of Joplin and eastern Jasper County.

Water

  • Wildwood Ranch site at W. 20th St & Central City Rd
  • Project may source water from Stockton Lake in Cedar County — three counties away
  • Liberty Utilities power feasibility study costs $200,000
  • Joplin Water serves ~50,000 residents

No zoning

  • Jasper County has no zoning laws in unincorporated areas
  • Joplin City Council annexed 540 acres on Feb 17, 2026 to gain control
  • Site rezoned from R-1 single-family residential to M-2 heavy industrial
  • 2009 Wildwood Ranch agreement triggered the annexation timing

Opposition

~50 residents rallied at Joplin City Hall May 1, 2026. Rhys Hine's Facebook group hit 679 members in one week. Missouri Coalition for the Environment working on community environmental protection agreement.

Litigation

Joplin attorney Derek Snyder filed suit in Jasper County Circuit Court in March 2026 asking a judge to void the rezoning. The complaint argues the council ignored relevant facts and unlawfully delegated power to a 2009 agreement, and that the rezoning violated covenants in the original Wildwood Ranch development agreement. JSTA pivoted to a Community Benefit Agreement with Geronimo Power after failing to gather enough signatures for a moratorium petition.

Sources

Reporting we relied on.

What you can do

Joplin rezoned 600 acres after a 7-hour council meeting. Stop the next one.

Jasper County and the city of Joplin have already approved heavy-industrial rezoning for data center use. Residents say they were not adequately notified. Make sure the next proposal hits a different reception. We write your opposition letter and send it to every commissioner.

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