Data centers in Franklin County, Missouri: 2 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

The Franklin County Commission approved rezonings for two large data center campuses on September 15, 2026, after months of protest. Provident Data Centers plans the Gateway Digital Campus on the Eckelkamp family's Diamond Farms near Villa Ridge, next to the Shaw Nature Reserve off I-44, and a developer called Beltline plans the Meramec Valley Technology Park on the Crooked Creek farm south of Pacific along Highway O. Earlier in September the commission also voted for a three-year moratorium on new data center applications; both projects were already in the pipeline.

Opposition was loud from the start. Testimony against the Villa Ridge plan ran for four hours at a packed planning commission meeting in January, and later meetings lasted 12 hours or more. Residents picketed the Bank of Washington, whose CEO's family owns Diamond Farms. Neighbors worry about noise, power bills and their wells. "We're not going to give up until we've tried every last means that we have to say we don't want this in our backyard," said Berta Carpenter, who lives just south of the farm.

The county's new data center rules set noise standards and construction hours, keep buildings 1,000 feet from inhabited homes, and back a development agreement with fines of $20,000 a day and a $10 million escrow. Opponents say the setback was weakened because it is now measured from homes rather than property lines. Gene Elkins, who lives near Crooked Creek and depends on a well, said opponents would look for legal ways to slow the projects down.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.