Festus, Missouri — Data Center Investigation Under Investigation
The proposed ~240-acre data center campus north of Hwy. 67, west of County Road CC in Festus, Missouri has ignited one of Jefferson County's most contentious transparency debates. CRG (Clayco's data center development arm) is pursuing the project. The City of Festus voted unanimously on November 24, 2025 to approve rezoning — but critics allege the process violated Missouri's Sunshine Law.
~240 acres proposed
Rezoning: Nov. 24, 2025
1 Sunshine Law Lawsuit
1,400+ signatures opposed
City of Festus Government
- Festus City Council — Voted unanimously Nov. 24, 2025 to approve rezoning (~240 acres from residential to industrial). Completed annexation of land north of Hwy. 67.
- Festus Planning & Zoning Commission — Voted 5–4 on Nov. 20, 2025 to recommend rezoning approval.
- City Administrator Greg Camp — Coordinated private meetings between city officials and developer CRG before public disclosure. Operating "on the advice of counsel" due to active litigation.
Developer: CRG (Clayco)
- CRG is Clayco's data center development unit — a large St. Louis-area construction and development firm with dozens of data center projects nationwide.
- Key Spokesperson: Chris McKee, President of CRG
- Project: ~240-acre data center campus; no end-user/operator identified yet
- Annexation and rezoning completed; no finalized site plan disclosed publicly
Jefferson County Officials
- Dennis Gannon, Jefferson County Executive — Publicly supportive of the data center; believes it will benefit the broader Jefferson County economy.
- Cindy Buchheit-Courtway, Executive Director, Jefferson County Port Authority — Spoke in favor at public hearings, citing jobs and economic growth.
- Alisyn Beffa, CEO, Mercy Hospital Jefferson — Spoke in favor, citing tech infrastructure benefits.
Property Owners (Sellers)
- Dietrich Trust — Owns the largest parcel (~199 acres) of the total annexation acreage
- Mark & Lucinda Hammon of Festus — Own additional parcels
- Fadler Investment Holdings of Festus — Own additional parcels
- All three voluntarily petitioned to be annexed into Festus city limits
Legal Representation & Sunshine Law Concerns
- City of Festus / Legal Counsel: Balloonist LLC attorneys drafted annexation/rezoning documents; city is commenting "on the advice of counsel" due to active litigation
- Developer CRG: No named counsel publicly disclosed for Festus transactions
- Jesse Cordova (Plaintiff) — City council candidate who filed lawsuit against City of Festus alleging Sunshine Law violations. Representing himself (pro se). Lawsuit alleges officials met in ways designed to evade open-meeting requirements and failed to perform formal impact studies before zoning changes.
- Erica Carter — Petition organizer who gathered 1,400+ signatures for a special election to ban large-scale data centers in Festus for the next decade
Key Transparency Concerns
1
City officials were in contact with CRG developer as early as August 2025 — months before public announcement
2
Sunshine Law lawsuit filed: Jesse Cordova v. City of Festus et al.
3
Zoning and annexation approved before site plan or end-user identified
4
City council members discussed hiring a PR firm to manage community messaging
Sunshine Law Records Obtained
Know Something About the Festus Data Center?
Help us track transparency in Festus and Jefferson County. Tips can be submitted anonymously. All submissions are reviewed by METG314 volunteers.
Jefferson County Health Department — ASPEN Network Monitoring
The Jefferson County Health Department has contracted with ASPEN Network, Inc. — a Farmington, MO-based nonprofit — for health services delivery. METG314 is monitoring financial oversight and contract compliance following review of board finance reports.
Jefferson County Health Department
- Role: Primary public health authority for Jefferson County
- Status: Under monitoring for financial oversight practices and contractor performance
- METG314 filed a review of ASPEN Network contract and financial records
ASPEN Network, Inc.
- Location: Farmington, Missouri
- Audited by: Maloney, Wright & Robbins, CPAs — 150 Westmount Drive, Farmington, MO 63640
- Audit date: March 19, 2026 (for FY December 31, 2025)
- Basis of accounting: Modified accrual basis
- Status: Audit found no material weaknesses identified; however, METG314 is reviewing contract terms and program performance
Finance Reports Obtained
Know Something About JC Health or ASPEN Network?
Help us track contractor accountability. Tips can be submitted anonymously. All submissions are reviewed by METG314 volunteers.
City of St. Louis — Northside Regeneration / Paul McKee Monitoring
Note: This investigation involves St. Louis City, not Jefferson County proper — but is tracked here as part of METG314's broader Eastern Missouri accountability work. Paul McKee's Northside Regeneration (NSR) project consumed or tied up hundreds of millions in public incentives over 17+ years while delivering negligible redevelopment in North St. Louis.
Paul McKee / Northside Regeneration (NSR) — Key Facts
- Period: 2004–2026 (~17+ years)
- City committed ≈ $360 million in TIF authorization
- State of Missouri issued ≈ $43 million in tax credits
- NSR obtained exclusive redevelopment control over ~1,500 acres in North St. Louis
- Result: Majority of properties remained vacant, condemned, or deteriorated for over a decade
Pattern of Misuse
- Tax credits allegedly used to inflate land acquisition prices, service private debt, and support internal financing — rather than produce meaningful redevelopment
- ~1,700 parcels assembled and left idle; city absorbed code enforcement costs, demolition liabilities, lost tax base
- Public trust and neighborhood stability damaged; city is now unwinding the relationship
Public Money vs. Outcomes Timeline
| Period | Phase | Public Actions | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2008 | Assembly Phase | NSR begins acquiring properties; city grants exclusive redevelopment control | No significant redevelopment |
| 2009–2011 | Incentive Expansion | City authorizes ~$360M TIF; State approves ~$43M tax credits | Minimal construction; properties vacant/deteriorating |
| 2012 | Financial Stall | Loan payments stop; redevelopment stalls | No enforcement action taken |
| 2013–2016 | Neighborhood Decline | ~1,700 parcels vacant/condemned/blighted | City absorbs costs. No claw-backs initiated |
| 2017–2024 | Continued Stagnation | Opportunity costs mount | City begins unwinding process |
| 2025–2026 | Unwind | City actively resetting the project | Ongoing; claw-back status unknown |
METG314 Notes
- Much of NSR spending appears authorized under TIF and tax-credit law — but produced negligible public benefit
- Strengthens arguments for performance-based incentives, time-limited redevelopment control, stronger oversight
- METG314 continues to monitor city's unwind process and any claw-back efforts
Documents Obtained
Know Something About Northside Regeneration?
Help us track the McKee NSR unwind process and any claw-back efforts. Tips can be submitted anonymously.