ST. CHARLES — The City Council on Thursday called for a special council meeting, set for Friday afternoon, to consider banning data center building projects for one year.

The moratorium would give city officials "time to evaluate the potential effects of data centers, research best practices, and consider changes to the zoning code," city documents say.

St. Charles City Councilman Vince Ratchford said he sees the moratorium as necessary.

"As data centers continue to evolve and expand nationally, it is essential that our zoning code and development standards keep pace," Ratchford said.

The decision comes days after the City Council heard from more than 50 speakers, many of them opposed to a now-scuttled 440-acre data center that a developer had hoped to build along Highway 370 in north

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