GONZALES — In Ascension Parish, council members are working to get ahead of any efforts to bring data centers into the parish as similar projects advance in other parts of the state. 

The parish council, at its Thursday night meeting, approved a resolution calling on the Planning and Zoning Commission to create guidelines for what they call "high-impact development facilities." 

The council said that many residents have come forward with concerns about potential data centers and that they want to make sure ordinances are in place before companies are able to apply for permits. 

"We have to get black-and-white guidelines on if you apply, what that data center looks like, where it can be built, what's the proper zoning. We don't have a data center inside of our zoning right now. Those are all things we want to do before anyone even tries to apply," Council Chair Chase Melancon said. 

No company has proposed building a data center in Ascension, the council noted. 

Two major data center projects are in various stages of development across the state. Meta is building the world's largest data center in Richland Parish, while HUT 8 is developing a $12 billion project in West Feliciana Parish.