FERGUSON, MISSOURI — September 26, 2026
The Ferguson City Council has approved a controversial redevelopment agreement that could transform the former Emerson Electric campus on West Florissant Avenue into a major technology and data-center campus.
On September 22, the City Council voted 4–3 to approve the agreement after months of debate, public opposition and an earlier failed vote.
The approximately 217-acre former Emerson campus is owned by SSL Investments/Next Revolution Technologies, operated by attorney and developer James Onder.
đź’° BILLIONS IN INCENTIVES
Under the approved agreement, Ferguson could provide up to $1.5 billion in tax incentives connected to the redevelopment.
The agreement also authorizes up to $22 billion in industrial revenue bonds, although that figure represents authorized financing capacity—not $22 billion being handed to the developer.
The city’s term sheet identifies more than $1.8 billion in estimated private investment at the low end, with equipment costs listed in a much broader range.
The property-tax structure would provide substantial abatements during the incentive period.
⚡ HOW LARGE COULD THE DATA CENTER BECOME?
The existing campus already has data-center capacity.
The newly approved plan includes a potential expansion to as much as 300 megawatts of data-center capacity.
That number is important because electricity demand is one of the biggest questions surrounding large-scale data centers.
The project’s documents also identify approximately $400 million for power-grid infrastructure.
At the same time, public project materials have included statements about the existing campus’s historical electricity use and future demand.
đź’§ WHAT ABOUT WATER?
At this point, there is not a publicly established final daily water-use figure for the proposed expanded facility.
The actual future demand will depend on the final facility design, tenants and cooling technology.
Supporters of the project argue that redevelopment of the largely vacant Emerson campus could bring significant private investment, economic activity and new revenue to Ferguson.
⚠️ ONE THING RESIDENTS SHOULD NOT ASSUME
There has been discussion about whether the data center could affect residents’ water, sewer or electric bills.
At this point, there is not enough evidence to say that the Project Butterfly agreement will directly increase residential utility bills.
Likewise, a resident’s individual sewer-bill change should not automatically be attributed to the data-center project without documentation connecting the two.
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