The Ascension Parish Zoning Commission took its first steps Wednesday toward establishing new regulations for high-impact development facilities, including data centers, after more than an hour of discussion and amendments to a proposed ordinance.
The ordinance now moves to the Parish Council, which will have the final vote on whether to adopt the regulations. The council's next meeting is set for Sept. 17.
Under the draft ordinance, high-impact development facilities would include data centers, cloud computing facilities, artificial intelligence computing facilities, cryptocurrency and blockchain computing facilities, server farms and substantially similar digital infrastructure.
These facilities would be permitted in heavy industrial zones and under conditional use in medium and light industrial zones.
In heavy industrial zones, the facilities would be allowed as a “use by right,” but in medium and light industrial zones, applicants would go before the Zoning Commission, which would make a recommendation to the Parish Council. The council would have final authority to approve or deny the application following a public hearing.
Proposed facilities would be responsible for 100% of ...