Residents urge Franklin County to pause AI data-center rezoning over health, water and environmental concerns

Dozens of residents urged the Franklin County Commission on March 26 to halt or delay rezoning that would allow hyperscale AI data centers, saying the projects pose risks to public health, water supplies, wildlife habitat and local farmland.

Kathy Post, introduced by the chair as the first speaker, read a prepared letter saying proposed projects (file numbers in the record include 260036 and 260037 and zoning requests cited as 250269 and 250270) could have “costly and negative impacts” on children, pregnant people and autistic residents, and she cited a pair of exhibits in the meeting packet she provided to commissioners. “The irreversible damages from AI data centers is not 100% known, but we do know enough to say no,” Post said, and she asked the commission to place any project “on hold for at least two years.” Post also called for deed covenants that “run with the land” so future owners remain bound by project restrictions.

Other speakers described local environmental and infrastructure risks. Wilton Reisenhoover, who said his 35-acre property sits adjacent to the McLaren parcel, warned that the proposed 16-building campus and its extensive impervious surfaces could send a sudden surge of runoff into a 10-acre lake on his land, possibly overwhelming the spillway and increasing downstream erosion and flood risk. “We don’t know for sure the extent of this because no one has really done a good environmental study, not to my knowledge,” Reisenhoover said, urging delay until formal studies and pending state and federal guidelines are complete.

Several speakers raised water-supply and aquifer concerns and said large data centers consume substantial volumes of water for cooling. Rhonda Brackett, who noted proximity of the proposed sites to Shaw Nature Reserve and lands managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation, said residents fear well depletion, noise and light pollution and harm to rare fish and amphibians. “Residents in the area do not want AI data centers,” she said.

Speakers also cited potential health and electrical impacts. A speaker who identified herself in the record as April said local residents worry about so-called “dirty power,” electronic interference and increased household utility costs; Thomas Crouch cited studies he said show heat and wildlife impacts near energy-intensive facilities and warned of fire and emergency-response challenges. Dana Bowers asked the commission either to recuse members with potential conflicts or to place decisions before voters, saying residents should have a direct say.

Commissioners did not take a formal vote on rezoning at the meeting. The chair said the commission “has not taken a formal position” and that planning and zoning processes remain the relevant forthcoming steps. The record shows the public comment period concluded and that several commissioners acknowledged receipt of documents and exhibits submitted by speakers.

What happens next: speakers repeatedly asked for further environmental study, state and federal guidance, and a pause on action. The commission did not adopt a policy or vote on land-use approvals during this session; related zoning requests remain part of the planning-and-zoning process and may be considered in future meetings.