St. Louis committee holds Bill 49 after hours of public comment, adopts three technical amendments

The St. Louis Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee paused action on Board Bill 49 — proposed regulations for data centers — after hours of public comment and extended debate over renewable-energy targets and community consent.

Public commenters repeatedly pressed the committee to add or strengthen a residents’ right to consent and to rethink renewable-energy-credit (REC) requirements that several speakers said were unattainable. "Please do not pass something out of committee until you clearly understand this important point regarding renewable energy credits," said Joe Dele, a businessman representing Wards 4 and 6, urging members to consult with the city’s electric provider before advancing the bill. Henry Eubank, director of public policy at Greater St. Louis, Inc., told the committee that the bill’s renewable thresholds "act as a de facto ban on major data center development in the city of St. Louis," citing a 50% pre-occupancy requirement and a 95% target by year 10 as outside regional capacity.

Other residents called for formal community approval. "Residents have the right to consent to what is built in our city," said Na Pitman, a Ward 2 resident who testified in support of regulations but asked for explicit community oversight modeled on the city’s liquor-license process. Several speakers cited health, noise and environmental concerns tied to large facilities.

The committee also heard industry and neighborhood testimony in support of workable regulations. Lewis Hamilton, representing the downtown Globe Building operator, said amendments under consideration would address his client’s concerns and expressed support for the bill as amended. An unnamed representative of the WASH app SID said they had reached agreement with the sponsor and supported Amendment 4.

A key moment came when Elise Schaefer of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment presented research on urban heat-island effects. Schaefer said studies show large data centers can raise local temperatures by roughly 4°F within 10 kilometers and produce measurable effects much farther than the 300- to 600-foot setbacks in the draft rules. "Heat is the deadliest weather event in the country," she told the committee, urging consideration of public-health consequences when setting setbacks and other standards.

Sponsor Alderwoman Schwitzer defended the structure of the bill and the changes made in committee, saying the measure distinguishes categories of data centers (micro, standard, major) and that micro sites are not subject to the same renewable requirements. Schwitzer said the chapter aims to align land-use approvals with the city’s sustainability goals while providing a path for existing operators to comply if they expand.

The committee adopted three technical amendments in committee: Amendment 9 (clarifying applicability and treatment of existing/nonconforming facilities), Amendment 10 (specifying that standalone fuel storage must have masonry screening), and Amendment 11 (clarifying acceptable generator screening and sound-attenuation standards). Each amendment was moved, seconded and adopted in committee votes called by the clerk.

After extended debate about bundled vs. unbundled renewable-energy credits, feasibility of the timelines in the bill and the planning commission’s role, the sponsor agreed to hold Bill 49 and reconvene the HUD committee next Tuesday at 11 a.m. to address outstanding questions and to give members more time to digest recent changes. "If anyone on the committee has questions that they feel are unanswered, please submit them to me as soon as possible," Schwitzer said during the meeting.

What’s next: Board Bill 49 will return to the committee at the scheduled reconvening for further amendments or a recommendation to the full Board of Aldermen. The committee’s decision to hold the bill followed repeated public calls for stronger community consent mechanisms and further study of REC feasibility and heat and noise impacts.