Local officials in a Missouri county has recommended giving the green light to one data center project but recommened against another.

The Franklin County planning and zoning commission of Franklin County voted on its recommendations on Tuesday April 21. Both projects have been subject to fierce community backlash.

The rezoning amendments for both of these proposals were meant to be considered by the commission last month. But the March 17 meeting ended up lasting 11 hours, stretching from 6pm to around 4:30 in the morning, forcing the commissioners to delay their decision by a month.

It was the Diamond Farms proposal, put forth by Provident Data Centers, that got the commission’s recommendation for approval. This calls for the rezoning of around 575 acres of agricultural land at the eponymous Diamond Farms, located on Robertsville Road, and would make way for a future development called the Gateway Digital Campus.

But the proposal put forth by energy company BLE Landholdings – otherwise known as Beltline – failed to receive the same recommendation. The company is requesting the rezoning of 12 parcels totaling 490 acres around 684 Phelan Road.

Both votes were decided by a margin of one.

These rezoning proposals still need approval from the county commission.

Public opinion seems broadly opposed to both proposals, and a public Facebook group called ‘No AI Data Centers in Franklin County’ has amassed more than 3,000 members at the time of writing, up from around 2,000 in March.

Franklin County is located west of St. Louis, situated on Missouri’s eastern border with Illinois. It should not be confused with any other counties called Franklin County in the US.