ST. FRANCISVILLE - West Feliciana Parish officials voted unanimously to build an artificial intelligence center off of La. 964 during a planning and rezoning meeting Monday evening.

Parish President Kenny Havard says large commercial developments opposed to residential neighborhoods is the best way to support a parish. 

"We don't want to get ourselves in a situation where we're relying on rooftops. So this allows us to support all of our infrastructure," he said. 

According to Havard, a completed first phase of the project is expected to create at least 100 permanent jobs and will be a great benefit to the parish. It will include the construction of two 450,000 square foot buildings. During the meeting there was some concern regarding traffic and water usage. Havard says he's been speaking with DoTD and state officials about ways to make the intersection between Highway 61 and La. 964 safer. 

"It's kind of a safety hazard. We probably need a red light of some sort there. So we're going to work with DoTD and the state, our state partners, and try to make this thing as safe as we can," he said. 

A Hut 8 representative said they are using a closed loop water system to prevent environmental impact. 

"We wouldn't want to build a water consuming facility here. The closed loop is a nature of the climate and the engineering we're trying to meet on the project," he said.

Hut 8 representatives did not give a date on when the project will begin.