The West Feliciana Planning and Zoning Commission has once again pushed back approval of Phase II of the massive Hut 8 data center because of concerns about how close the building will be to a neighborhood.
Gary Mego, development services director for the parish, said he believes at least one of the Phase II buildings will move closer to the Phase I site on La. 964 in St. Francisville. The Phase II site was going to be less than a mile from some houses in the Star Hill neighborhood, located close to the intersection of La. 10 and La. 61.Β Mego also said Hut 8 is going to try not to rezone anything along La. 10, keeping construction and noise away from the residents who live close by.
Original Phase II plans would have developed about 180 acres of the site. It would include two buildings of about 568,000 square feet each, with substations and a switchyard if approved.
Hut 8 officials were not present at the Planning and Zoning CommissionΒ meeting Monday night. Commissioners said they decided to rework the plans after last monthβs meeting, where residents raised concerns over the proximity of the project to the Star Hill neighborhood.
βHut 8 is taking additional time to refine the design of Phase II of the River Bend AI Data Center Campus, following input from the community,β said Hailey Miller, senior director of public affairs at Hut 8. βWe now plan to submit updated site plan and rezoning applications in December 2026, for consideration by the West Feliciana Planning & Zoning Commission in January 2027. This timing allows us to bring a thoroughly developed proposal to the community and local officials, and we will continue to engage residents as the process moves forward.β
The company has until Dec. 1 to reapply for the site plan and zoning change approvals, as the notice for a public hearing needs to be published a month before the meeting.Β The Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to conduct a public hearing on Jan. 4.
Matias DuRei with Hut 8 said in October that potential benefits for residents include funding about $16 million in water improvements and working with the DOTD to improve U.S. 61, including the La. 964 intersection.
However, residents brought their concerns to the Oct. 5 Planning and ZoningΒ meeting. Some said they did not like that areas close to residential subdivisions would be rezoned for heavy industrial use. Others were concerned that sections would be rezoned that Hut 8 would not immediately develop, leaving the door open for the data center to creep closer to residential areas.
As Phase II would have been less than a mile from some houses, residents asked about whether the noise level would be noticeable. At the time, Hut 8 did not have an answer, as the noise level study it conducted was measured more than two miles from residences.
The Planning and Zoning Commission will discuss Phase II at the Jan. 4 public hearing. After the commission recommends approval or denial, the Parish Council will meet to make its decision on the site and rezoning plans.
The first of four data halls is expected to be completed by early 2027 on the more than 600-acre site owned by Miami-based Hut 8, with the full site of Phase I ready in the next 14 to 18 months. The data center is expected to cost $10 billion.
Also at Mondayβs meeting, the commission unanimously recommended rezoning an area to make way for a new fire station in St. Francisville.
The station β proposed for 10973 La. 421 β would house West Feliciana Fire District No. 1, which is currently located on a small rental property on Peterson Road. There would be no living quarters in the station, but three bays will store fire trucks in a small metal building.
βItβs been (at Peterson Road) for about 10 years,β said Richard Dudley, District 1 fire chief. βWeβre looking to move forward with our own station that is substantial for a fire stationβs needs, with a concrete floor and a heater; just a better building.β
Dudley said the plan is for the station to be complete within a year, but ideally six months after council approval.