St. Louis City Data Centers — Armory Innovation DC

Data Center Risk

75/100

Very High

Why St. Louis City is Very High risk

Score calculated from four factors: power infrastructure, water capacity, land availability, and current exposure (known projects in the county). St. Louis City scores 75/100.

Power availability

24/30

Ameren Missouri. Dense urban grid with existing substation infrastructure. 120MW — smaller than rural hyperscale projects.

Water capacity

13/15

Mississippi River / Missouri River confluence. Municipal water via St. Louis Water Division. Adequate for 120MW facility.

Land availability

8/15

Former Macy's/Famous-Barr warehouse site. Urban infill — not greenfield farmland conversion.

Current exposure

30/40

Armory Innovation DC approved April 21, 2026 via virtual Board of Public Service vote despite hours of opposition.

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

Project

Armory Innovation DC
Midtown St. Louis

Size

~500,000 sq ft
120 MW

Investment

$1.5 billion

Developers

Contour / TeraWatt /
THO / Steadfast City / ARCO

Tax Revenue

$432 million projected
over 10 years

Community Benefits

$15 million agreement

Utility

Ameren Missouri

Approval

Board of Public Service
Virtual vote, April 21, 2026

Opposition

Hours of public testimony
before vote

The Project

The Armory data center, explained.

The Armory Data Center

Approved · April 21, 2026

On April 21, 2026, the St. Louis Board of Public Service voted unanimously to approve a conditional use permit for a $3 billion data center in the former Famous-Barr warehouse on Market Street, immediately west of The Armory in Midtown. The Armory building itself will be rehabbed as high-end office space; the warehouse will be demolished and replaced with the data center.

The project is targeted for full operation by the end of 2028. Mayor Cara Spencer's office projects roughly $27.4 million in first-year city tax revenue and $33.4 million for the St. Louis Public Schools — figures Spencer cited in explaining her decision to support the project despite expressing concerns about data centers generally. Total projected tax revenue: $432.3 million over 10 years.

The approval came after Spencer requested a delay in late March to give the city time to finalize new zoning rules limiting where data centers can be built, and a separate community benefits agreement. In February, the Board of Aldermen had narrowly rejected (7-8) a temporary moratorium proposed by Alderman Michael Browning and Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier.

The development is the first major hyperscale-class data center inside the City of St. Louis. The developer is associated with Bob Clark, founder of Clayco — the same parent company whose subsidiary CRG is currently being sued in Jefferson County over its Festus data center. KSDK reported that Spencer met with Clark in London the same week the Armory permit was approved.

Timeline

How we got here.

December 2025

NorthPoint sells Armory site to data center developer. The 400-acre Independence Nebius site is purchased from NorthPoint Development; in St. Louis, the former Famous-Barr warehouse on Market Street next to The Armory is identified as a candidate site for a major data center development.

February 13, 2026

Aldermen reject pause on data centers. The Board of Aldermen votes 7-8 against introducing a bill from Alderman Michael Browning (Ward 9) and Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier (Ward 7) that would have paused all new data center development pending zoning rules. Browning warns more applications are on the horizon.

Late March 2026

Mayor Spencer pauses the Armory vote. Mayor Cara Spencer requests the Board of Public Service delay its scheduled vote on the conditional use permit for the $3 billion Armory project so the city can finalize new zoning rules and stronger conditions on data center operators.

April 21, 2026

Board of Public Service approves the Armory project. The Board of Public Service unanimously approves the conditional use permit allowing the data center to be built in the former Famous-Barr warehouse. The Armory itself will be rehabbed as office space. Mayor Spencer's office projects $27.4 million in first-year city tax revenue, $33.4 million for SLPS, and $432.3 million in total tax revenue over 10 years. The data center is targeted for full operation by the end of 2028.

Same week

Mayor Spencer photographed in London with developer Bob Clark. KSDK reports Mayor Spencer met in London with Bob Clark — Clayco/CRG founder and a top campaign donor — the same week the city approved the Armory permit. Alderman Rasheen Aldridge: "It may not be good optics."

What It Means

For St. Louis residents.

Scale

At 120 MW and ~500,000 sq ft, the Armory DC is significantly smaller than rural hyperscale projects (Clay 700+ MW, Jackson 800 MW). Pacific ROOT Coalition: "The 120-megawatt facility at the Armory is essentially a tenth of the size of the 1.2-gigawatt facilities proposed out here." Urban infill on a former warehouse, not farmland conversion.

Approval process

Board of Public Service approved via virtual, last-second vote April 21, 2026 after hours of public opposition. Original proposal faced backlash; revised to adjacent warehouse site. $15 million community benefits agreement included.

Revenue

Projected $432 million in tax revenue over 10 years. Unlike rural projects with Chapter 100 bonds for near-total tax abatement, this project includes a community benefits agreement with direct payments.

Optics

Mayor Cara Spencer met in London with Bob Clark — Clayco/CRG founder and a top campaign donor — the same week the Armory permit was approved. Clayco is the parent of CRG, the developer being sued in Jefferson County over the Festus project. Alderman Rasheen Aldridge: "It may not be good optics, I will say."

Sources

Reporting we relied on.

St. Louis Public Radio — Armory gets final approval (April 21, 2026)

What you can do

St. Louis approved its data center April 21. The next one is coming.

The first major hyperscale-class data center inside St. Louis City limits was approved on April 21, 2026. The precedent is set — additional proposals are expected. Get on record now so the next one doesn't move through unopposed. We write your letter and email it to every Board of Aldermen member.

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