Plans for a controversial data center in St. Charles are dead for now.
The developer, CRG Cumulus, has withdrawn its application for a permit, and the St. Charles City Council will not vote on the center Tuesday.
The data center was proposed for a 440-acre site off Highway 370. It would have been used for artificial intelligence.
Crowds of St. Charles residents have been turning out to public meetings to oppose the data center, saying they worried about its energy use and its effect on water quality.
They also criticized the lack of information around the project. A lawyer representing the company behind the project would not disclose whom the data center was for but said it was a Fortune 100 company. City officials had signed nondisclosure agreements.
St. Charles Mayor Dan Borgmeyer said public opposition ultimately sank the project.
“There’s not enough transparency, and it turned into a lack of public trust, and the people have reacted accordingly,” Borgmeyer said.
The mayor said he doesn’t know whether the developer will reapply.
In an email, CRG President Christopher P. McKee said the company is withdrawing the conditional use permit application “to incorporate recent community feedback.”
“Over the past months, Project Cumulus has conducted comprehensive analyses of the project, its impacts, and its anticipated community benefits,” McKee wrote. “Despite the extensive work, we recognize the need to enhance our outreach process to ensure that information is accessible and clearly communicated to the public.”
McKee said that in the following months, the company will work with city officials and the public to develop a revised proposal.
“No matter what, I think if Clayco does come back, they have a mountain to climb,” Borgmeyer said.
This article has been updated to include information from CRG’s withdrawal letter.
