By MATT PIKE
In an effort to be more transparent with residents, St. Joseph city officials released a statement on Monday regarding details of a potential data center being developed on Pickett Road.
The statement points to the many details city officials have, don’t have, and what the city is requiring within the process as the conversation moves forward. City officials state that a landowner approached the city asking to have approximately 130 acres of property at 6321 Pickett Road annexed into the city. The landowner has informed the city that the property is being considered for a potential data center development.
For the development, city staff have requested additional information about the use of the land, particularly any data center. To date, information is still being waited on, but city official do know some things about what would come with the property being acquired.
- No tax incentives have been offered or requested.
- The developer has agreed to a community meeting about the project. We plan to have our utility partners present. No specific date has been set, but the meeting is expected to occur in mid-July.
- The City has not been asked to enter into a non-disclosure agreement.
The question of annexation is separate from the future use of the property. Under the City code, annexation and zoning are distinct processes. The annexation request will be reviewed in accordance with Missouri law and City codes. Approval of annexation does not constitute approval of a specific development project. Any zoning request would undergo a separate review process that includes evaluation of land-use compatibility, infrastructure impacts, utility capacity, environmental considerations and opportunities for public input before any decision is made.
The current timelines for these processes involving the property at 6321 Pickett Road are as follows.
- Annexation: In early April, the City received a petition for voluntary annexation of the property located at 6321 SE Pickett Road. Under Missouri law, after the City receives a petition for voluntary annexation, it has 60 days to hold a public hearing on the annexation.
- That public hearing occurred at the City Council meeting on May 26.
Now that the public hearing has occurred, the City does not have any additional hard deadlines it has to meet. As part of the annexation, the City is required, by code, to address the zoning of the property "concurrently" with the annexation.
- Zoning: Last week, an application was received from the property owner to have the property rezoned to a manufacturing district, and initially, that rezoning request was scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission at its meeting on June 25. After further discussion and consideration, the City and property owner decided to postpone the rezoning request until the July 23rd Planning Commission meeting.
- The notice of the Planning Commission meeting that was published in the News-Press was revised to remove the rezoning request from the agenda, but several letters to adjacent property owners had already been mailed out.
The Planning Commission is a recommending body only, so after the July 23rd meeting, it will forward its recommendation to the City Council for its review.
The first reading of the ordinance on annexation and the first reading of the ordinance on rezoning will tentatively occur on August 17th, with a second and final reading on both issues to occur on August 31st. A public hearing on the rezoning request will also occur at the City Council meeting on August 17th.
The City has requested a full development plan to include wastewater impact, if there were to be any, expected development timelines, an agreement addressing any environmental concerns and clarity on any other issues we learn of as this conversation progresses.
These materials are subject to change. As additional details become available, they will be shared with the public by the city of St. Joseph.