City of St. Louis Approves Permit for Data Center in Warehouse at Amory Site; Building Trades Praise

Date Posted: April 21, 2026

Posted In: Featured, Projects,

by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum

The City of St. Louis Board of Public Service has unanimously approved a conditional use permit for a data center at the former Famous-Barr warehouse property, with a set of required conditions and a negotiated community benefits agreement tied to the project.

“Open for Business on Our Terms”

“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 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.”

“As mayor, I cannot responsibly ignore the amount of good this amount of tax revenue will do for city services, SLPS students and some of the most important amenities and services that our community depends on,” Spencer said. “Though I share many concerns about data centers, we have negotiated hard to address the concerns we have any control over and ensure that our community reaps the benefits if this development moves forward.”

“Model for All Developers”

“This is an important new direction for working families, the schools and the City of St. Louis. This revised proposal represents what could be a national and local model for all developers. The public, city leaders and union officials had real concerns regarding any data center proposal. The Armory Project team went through the process, listened and addressed those concerns,” said AFT St. Louis Local 420 President Ray Cummings. “Unlike some other data center concepts, this revised proposal offers tangible benefits paying a fair share of taxes and public benefits it will generate for SLPS and the City. The impact on school funding, city tax revenue, union jobs and the developer’s responsiveness are groundbreaking and can be emulated.”

Live Changing Careers in Construction

“Today, the residents of St. Louis took a big step forward. The members of the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council look forward to building the next generation of infrastructure for our country, right here in the City of St. Louis. We look forward to working on this 100% Union project while welcoming more residents of the City of St. Louis into life-changing careers in the construction industry,” said John Stiffler, executive secretary-treasurer of the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council.

“This project will create good-paying union jobs right here in St. Louis, while also generating hundreds of millions of dollars for area public schools. The investments this project will make in our infrastructure, our economy and our future cannot be denied. This is a generational win for the people of St.Louis and a great opportunity for residents to join the construction industry,” said Jake Hummel, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO.