CAMDENTON, Mo. (KY3) – It has been three months since the City of Camdenton rescinded its support for a 2,000-acre opportunity zone after massive opposition from the public.
Concerns stemmed from the zone opening the door for AI data centers.
After rescinding its support for the zone, the Camdenton Board of Aldermen also voted to begin a one-year moratorium on data centers back in May.
Now, the sentiment from residents hasn’t changed.
“I’m personally not in favor of it, and I haven’t talked to a single person that is in favor of it,” said resident Justin Pierce. “And it’s not just like a mildly not in favor; people are furious about it. I mean, nobody around here is interested in it and having it around here.”
“Not that I think there’s anything good about data centers, but I didn’t see just the mention of a data center in that opportunity zone being that alarming,” said Camdenton’s mayor, John McNabb. “But obviously the citizens did, and they’ve spoken, and I’ve heard them.”
Meetings and discussions have been held to determine the city’s next steps.
“We’ve directed the members of Planning and Zoning to do their research. Our attorney is also researching the best way to write an ordinance, what kind of restrictions we want,” said Mayor McNabb. “The public will definitely be involved once we get to the point where we’re comfortable with an ordinance that we want to present to the public.”
Local resident Justin Pierce says that residents aren’t interested in regulating a potential data center.
“From the people that I’ve talked to, I can’t imagine that there would be anything that people would be in favor of, any sort of regulation at all,” said Pierce. “It’s a hard no with everyone.”
Mayor McNabb says that the citizens’ concerns and their priorities haven’t changed since the May meeting. They still want to protect and preserve the wildlife and nature around Camdenton.
“The people in Camden County don’t always agree with everything. But one thing they agree on is they’re very protective of the lake,” said Mayor McNabb. “And they’re not willing to jeopardize anything that might harm the Lake of the Ozarks.”
Camdenton’s mayor says that he’s unsure if the city will use all 12 months of their moratorium before presenting a data center ordinance.
“Our number one thing is we want to make sure we get this right,” said Mayor McNabb. “If it takes six months, eight months, or all 12 months, whatever it is; we want to make sure that we’re really comfortable with what we decide to do.”
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