Independence council holds full public hearing on Nevius data center Chapter 100 abatement as residents press for answers

The Independence City Council on Feb. 16 conducted a full public hearing on a Chapter 100 tax-incentive package tied to the proposed Nevius AI data center, hearing more than 50 citizen comments split between organized labor and business supporters and residents and community groups opposed to the deal.

Bond counsel David Martin of Gilmore & Bell outlined the Chapter 100 plan to the council and public, saying the campus under review spans "approximately 398 acres" with roughly "2,100,000 square feet" of enclosed space and incentives that, under the assumptions presented, amount to "a little over 90% abatement" for the project. Martin described several contract-enforceable protections included in the lease and ordinance drafts: a requirement for closed-loop cooling or a similar technology to avoid continual use of city water, compliance with city noise and lighting codes, a $2,500,000 deposit dedicated to Little Blue Parkway repairs, quarterly meetings with a Citizen Advisory Board for the first five years, and a decommissioning requirement to remove data-center-specific systems within two years of cessation of operations.

The applicant, represented by local counsel and development partners, reiterated technical points about operations and mitigation. Local counsel Mark Holter said…