Gateway Digital Campus (Diamond Farms, near Villa Ridge)
Also called: Diamond Farms data center, Provident Gateway
Provident Data Centers plans the Gateway Digital Campus on about 575 acres of farmland along I-44 near Villa Ridge, next to the Shaw Nature Reserve. The county rezoned the land for industry on Sept. 15, 2026, despite strong opposition. The size in power and the future tenant have not been made public.
Where things stand: Franklin County commissioners approved the rezoning on Sept. 15, 2026. No building permit reported yet.
🕒 Latest update (Sept 15, 2026): County Commission voted unanimously to rezone the land from farm to industrial use. It also passed data center rules (setbacks, noise, fines).
What we know
- 📍 WhereDiamond Farms on Robertsville Road, south side of I-44 next to Shaw Nature Reserve, near Villa Ridge and Gray Summit, Unincorporated Franklin County, Franklin County
- 🏢 CompanyProvident Data Centers
- 🌳 Size575 acres
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromAmeren Missouri service area (per local tracker); no power plan made public.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Who will use the data center (which tech company)? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much power will it need, and will new power lines or substations be built? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water will it use per day, and from where? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will the county or state give tax breaks? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will residents file a lawsuit against the rezoning? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Jan 20, 2026County planning commission tabled the Diamond Farms rezoning request for six months.
- March 17, 2026Planning commission held a packed, nearly 11-hour hearing on the project.
- April 21, 2026Planning commission recommended approval of the rezoning, 8-1.
- Sept 15, 2026County Commission voted unanimously to rezone the land from farm to industrial use. It also passed data center rules (setbacks, noise, fines).
Local votes and rules
✅ Approved
County commission voted to rezone farmland to industrial for two big data centers: Gateway Digital Campus near Villa Ridge and Beltline's Meramec Valley Technology Park south of Pacific. The planning commission had backed the first and opposed the second.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Data centers approved by Franklin County Commissioners in Tuesday vote · First Alert 4 (KMOV) · Sept 15, 2026
- Franklin County commissioners approve data center developments · Springfield Business Journal · Sept 2026
- Franklin County residents in an uproar after commissioners vote to approve data center developments · KSDK · Sept 16, 2026
- Franklin County planning and zoning recommends data center · Spectrum News · April 22, 2026
- Planning commission in Franklin County, Missouri recommends approval of one data center, denies another · Data Center Dynamics · April 2026
- Region fielding multiple data center proposals · West Newsmagazine · Jan 2026
- Data center developers look to rural Missouri for acreage, power · News Tribune · March 27, 2026
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