Ascension Zoning Commission to Consider New Data Center Rules
Ascension Parish is considering new regulations for data centers and other high-impact developments, aiming to establish a regulatory framework. Proposed rules would restrict these facilities to industrial zones, require conditional use permits in some areas, and mandate specific standards for size, location, water use, noise, and emergency response. Developers would also be responsible for all associated utility upgrade costs.
The Ascension Parish Planning and Zoning Commission is set to consider a draft ordinance that would establish new regulations for data centers and other "high-impact development facilities." The proposed rules aim to dictate where these power-intensive facilities can be built within Ascension Parish and ensure that developers bear the full costs and community impacts of their operations.
The ordinance would create a new category in the parish's development code for digital infrastructure, including data centers, AI computing facilities, and cryptocurrency operations. These facilities would be permitted on properties zoned for heavy, medium, or light industrial use. While projects in heavy-industrial districts could be built by right, those in medium- and light-industrial areas would necessitate a conditional use permit, requiring a recommendation from the zoning commission before final consideration by the Ascension Parish Council.
Key restrictions include a minimum of 20 contiguous acres for facilities in light- or medium-industrial zones and a roughly half-mile separation from residential areas, schools, and hospitals. Environmental standards would require facilities meeting specific power thresholds to use closed-loop or recirculating cooling systems and prohibit them from drawing water from parish or municipal systems for cooling. Additionally, developers would be solely responsible for the full cost of power generation and any necessary substation or transmission upgrades.