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After debate, St. Charles Parish adopts data center zoning with noise and adjacency safeguards
Summary
The council adopted an ordinance defining and permitting data centers in M1/M2 industrial zones, adding a 300-foot setback, landscaping and a 55 dB(A) noise standard with amendments requiring A and C-weighted measurements and an adjacency definition; supporters urged investment certainty while opponents called for a moratorium.
The St. Charles Parish Council on June 1 adopted a zoning ordinance (2026-0170, as amended) that defines data centers and adds performance standards for locating them in M1 and M2 industrial districts.
Planning staff told the council the measure closes a regulatory gap and establishes site development standards, buffers and noise limits. The ordinance was amended during the meeting to add an explicit adjacency definition (covering lots separated only by undivided streets or rail lines) and to clarify that the new data-center noise rules supersede other regulations only where those other laws are less restrictive.
The issue prompted a lengthy public hearing. Resident speakers urged caution and called for a moratorium or further study of low-frequency noise and water demands; Milton Alam asked the council to pause approvals until the parish understands industry impacts. Energy sector representatives and the River Region Chamber said clear standards and predictable permitting attract investment and that large projects bring infrastructure investments with negotiated public benefits.
Council members and staff described technical follow-up: noise measurement and modeling using both A- and C-weighted instruments, octave-band analysis and professional acoustic engineering stamped by a licensed engineer during design and post-construction verification. The administration committed to forming a technical working group to refine noise and other technical standards as project proposals arrive.
The ordinance, including the council’s amendments, passed unanimously. The administration said no formal data-center applications had been submitted prior to the meeting; the new rules create a permitting framework intended to balance residential protections and economic development.
