KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
—
Against the backdrop of the city’s contentious approval of a hyperscale AI data factory in the Little Blue Valley earlier this year, the Independence City Council is now considering a 180-day moratorium on new data center and battery energy storage projects within city limits.
The remade Independence City Council wants to “examine the issues, benefits and consequences of further regulation” of such facilities, which are springing up across the country and facing increasing pushback.
The council — which approved a 90% tax abatement for a Dutch AI company, Nebius, to build a 2.1-million-square-foot facility along Little Blue Parkway and Missouri 78 on March 2 — will consider changes to city code related to such projects during the moratorium, if approved.
“(T)he City Council has determined that it is necessary to further examine business, zoning, fire, building, and/or development issues to determine if it is appropriate to further regulate and control uses of property” related to data centers and battery energy storage systems (BESS), according to the resolutions before the council.
The resolution also said the city wants to investigate the impact more data centers and BESS facilities “may have on the health safety, and general welfare of citizens.”
A group of residents opposed to the Nebius project tried unsuccessfully to put the project to a vote, but they have subsequently called for a moratorium.
Nebius broke ground in May on the first phase of its project, which also requires the buildout of 1.2 megawatts in natural gas energy production.
The moratorium, discussion of which is expected to draw a crowd at the council meeting, only applies to data centers “that have not already been submitted to, authorized or approved by the City.”
WATCH | Independence City Council – July 6, 2026
Two incumbent council members who voted for the Nebius project in early March — Jared Fears and Bridget McCandless, who was running for mayor — lost reelection bids. A third, Councilman John Perkins, faces a Sept. 1 recall election.
Kevin King won the mayoral election, while Jackie Dorman and Cody Atkinson joined the council.
—
