Ferguson residents question developers about potential data center 73%
By Chad Davis0%
3/19/2026, 3:00:00 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 16 faulty reasoning types, including Pessimism Bias, Appeal to Emotion, and Framing Effect, with Hasty Generalization as the most egregious example at 5.9% saturation with 45 hits. Analysis detected 392 faulty-reasoning hits from 758 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 64.8% and a BS Rank of 73% (6,060 of 21,887 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 72.30% of the article peer group.
Residents packed the Ferguson City Council chambers Wednesday evening to discuss a potential re-development of the former Emerson campus that would include renovations to its data center.
Council members limited the question and answer portion to about an hour.
They also shared public comments and questions for developers that had been submitted in advance.
Some residents came with signs asking that the developers not contaminate the water supply or raise energy costs.
“There's already a data center on campus, it's LEED Gold certified, it's the highest environmental rating that a building can get,” Husch Blackwell lawyer Ernesto Segura said.
“All of the utility impacts that may come from future development of this site will be addressed with infrastructure improvements that are funded by the development.
We are not looking to put any burden onto the citizens of this city.”
The meeting was a step forward, but not enough, Ferguson resident Jackie Lewis-Harris said.
“We know there’s [a data center] here now,” Lewis-Harris said.
“But if they go ahead with the larger ones, what’s the gas problem, what’s the water problem, what’s the environment and pollution, what’s the sound problem?”
The data center development is spearheaded by SSL Investments LLC which is run by Onder Law managing partner and founder James Onder.
He said he plans to move more than 50 of his employees to the site.
Onder said he doesn’t expect there to be an increase in water bills since Emerson entered a private contract with an outside water company years ago.
He also said they’re using a closed loop system that recaptures and reuses water.
Segura said the current data center uses renewable energy and expects that to continue throughout the campus.
“I think Jim [Onder] has every intention of using renewable energy, not just with a data center, but with other other uses on campus,” Segura said.
Onder also said they don’t plan to use more electricity from Ameren than they currently do, but that the facility does have a diesel backup generator that operates about 45 minutes a month.
But unlike smaller data centers, large hyperscale data centers often have multiple diesel generators.
One planned for Indiana, for example, is expected to have 176.
“I want to create this as a center for entrepreneurship, a center for development,” Onder said.
“A center for green, environmentally-friendly energy and resources.”
The council passed a resolution Saturday allowing the city manager to enter into negotiations with the firm to renovate the 217 acre facility.
The campus in Ferguson used to be the site of Emerson and is now the home of Copeland, a spinoff of the company.
The resolution states Copeland would remain an anchor tenant and would “expand existing campus uses, renovate existing buildings, construct new buildings and invest in significant utility and infrastructure improvements.”
The proposal includes a 15-year real estate tax abatement and an up to 15-year personal property tax abatement for the property.
In order to get the real property tax abatement, the company has to retain at least 250 jobs on the campus.
For the personal property tax abatement, the company has to add 100 jobs.
“There will be real targets with real penalties because we won't get any tax abatement if we don't hit those numbers,” Segura said.
Some residents said they're also concerned about noise pollution and the proposed 15 year tax abatement.
“We don't even have enough money right now to pay all the staff that we need here,” Ferguson resident Mildred Clines said.
“They talk about the police, they don't have enough people in law enforcement, they don't have the money, they don't have the budget for it.
And now you want to give this company all this money for a tax abatement?”
Northwoods resident Christopher Sudlik also questioned if the data center itself will bring in a large number of jobs.
“There's only ever a couple of people that are running the actual facility, and those will mainly be actually running it remotely from the corporation's HQ,” Sudlik said.
Segura also said the facility will abide by zoning requirements and noise ordinances.
Ferguson mayoral candidate Adrian Shropshire said he still has questions about the facility but that the city could use the economic boost.
“I think we do need good economic development in our area,” Shropshire said.
“I just need to really know more about the project itself, limited information today, but it was good information.
It was like a debriefing.
Now, let's get down to the nuts and bolts.”
Speakers
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