Today, the City of St. Louis Board of Public Service unanimously approved a conditional use permit for the construction of a data center at the old Famous-Barr warehouse property.This approval comes with a significant number of required conditions to address concerns raised by the community, including noise, walkability, sustainability and the use of power and water. The City has also negotiated robust terms for a community benefits agreement to ensure the St. Louis community comes out ahead.”While St. Louis is already home to 12 data centers, which we know are important to the modern economy and local industries like geospatial, finance and healthcare, we as a City are committed to a simple principle,” said Mayor Cara Spencer. “We want St. Louis to be open for business, but business on our terms; that means we’re only going to allow the development of data centers if the community benefits.”At Mayor Spencer’s direction, over the last month, the City has significantly strengthened the required conditions and their enforceability, and established a foundation for ongoing monitoring. These conditions are designed to mitigate potential environmental and economic impacts to the community. The entire list of conditions has been made publicly available with this press release, but includes these highlighted items requiring that the developer: Use a closed-loop system and air-cooled chillers to minimize water consumption. Pay any new large load or data center-specific water rates determined by a cost-of-service study, as well as fund a hydraulic model study and rectify any detrimental impact the development may cause on existing customers. Prior to the study completion, an agreement may establish a short-term rate for this use. Recycle all electronic waste with the highest environmental certification (R2), which requires independent, third-party audits of facility operations, worker safety and downstream vendor tracking. Achieve and maintain compliance with all wastewater discharge standards set by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, once the facility is operating. Ensure that at least 50% of the data center’s energy load comes from renewable sources within five years of commencing operations. Additional target may be set in a community benefits agreement. Maintain a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.25 or better, or 1.35 or better if more than 50% of the existing building on the parcel is repurposed. Annually report waste heat rejected to the outdoor environment, the quantity of waste heat recovered or reused, and the peak heat rejection rate during summer design conditions or the hottest observed days. Never use on-site generators as a general operating power source. Place noise-emitting equipment, including backup generators, away from primary frontages and enclosed within acoustically treated structures. Only test backup generators between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and never test on 

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