ST. LOUIS—Ascent, a leading provider of data centers in the US, has just launched its first speculative data center development near its hometown of St. Louis. “Our offices are here, our roots are here, and our plans to develop a data center here are finally coming to fruition,” Phil Horstmann, chief executive officer of Ascent, tells GlobeSt.com.
And by building a new center with 10 plus MVA of power on a 15-acre greenfield site, the company will give local firms a unique option.
“I don't know of any greenfield data center project in St. Louis that serves the multitenant market,” Horstmann adds. Multitenant data centers that currently serve St. Louis are typically in downtown buildings, and tend to have less space, less power and less ability to handle the heat load that Ascent's new center will sustain.
Similar to Ascent's CH2 and CH3 data centers in the Chicago area, the St. Louis area facility will offer rack-ready, purpose-built, fully customizable and autonomous suites. The design includes plans for spaces with 24-foot high ceilings and 40-foot column spacing, and an expandable, hardened building shell capable of withstanding tornados.
“The other assets have served a purpose in the market, but it's time for some new product,” Horstmann says.
As reported in GlobeSt.com last month, Ascent sold its CH2 data facility in suburban Chicago to Carter Validus Mission Critical REIT, Inc. for $211.7 million.
Its new St. Louis center, dubbed STL1, will rise on county land in Wellston, a small suburb right on the city's northwestern border and just two blocks north of Washington University's North Campus. “Finding a site at the epicenter of numerous and diverse fiber providers, redundant power and near the sprawling tech corridor, makes this development a prime location for businesses,” Horstmann adds.
“It's also a great location in the heart of the US” and could draw users from Chicago, Dallas or Kansas City partly due to its access to public transportation. The MetroLink light rail system goes from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport straight through Wellston, and someone from a financial services firm, for example, could leave their office in downtown Chicago and arrive at STL1 a few hours later.
The site will feature Ascent's Dynamic Data Center Suite model and have four suites. However, it could eventually have a dozen users since “a couple of the potential tenants that we're talking to are data center solutions providers,” Horstmann says, and these customers may occupy one or more suites and then in turn provide services for several other tenants. He expects inquiries will also come from the submarket's growing tech sector, especially biotech companies, and from local medical research facilities, academic research institutions and businesses ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.
“Ascent's development is an important and substantial capital investment to an area undergoing significant revitalization by many key business players in St. Louis,” says Doug Rasmussen, senior vice president of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. “The development will not only be a boon for job growth in sectors like construction and the skilled trades but will also provide the kind of high tech jobs necessary for longevity and continued growth in today's economy.”
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
