Before Livingston Parish officials rezoned much of a 700-acre tract of land for heavy industrial development at the center of speculation about a possible data center underwent an extensive federal wetlands review just months. The tract is on and north of Buddy Ellis Road, near Walker. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concluded that about 17.4 acres of the tract’s wetlands and waters remained subject to federal regulation. That amounts to roughly 2.5% of the full tract by acreage.
The determination came amid a legal fight between the property’s owner, Juban Land Holdings, and the Corps over how much of the site remained federally regulated after a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision narrowed the government’s authority over wetlands. Earlier Corps determinations had found substantial federally regulated wetlands and waters on the property, meaning Corps permits were required for certain development activities.
Juban sued the Corps in January 2024, arguing that wetlands on the property no longer fell under federal jurisdiction. The company said regulatory uncertainty was hindering its ability to sell all or part of the property. The case was later put on hold while the Corps completed a new review.
That review found that some wetlands and waterways remained federally regulated but many others did not. The Corps issued its final determination in May 2025, and Juban voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit later that month.
Then, in November 2025, Livingston Parish rezoned roughly 691 acres of Juban-owned property in the same Buddy Ellis Road area for heavy industrial use.
The property has since become the subject of speculation that a large data center could be planned there, though no companies or officials have publicly confirmed such a project.
Livingston Parish President Randy Delatte said this week that, as of now, there are no plans for a data center in the parish, though he did make note of the economic benefits Meta’s data center has brought to Richland Parish.
The court records do not show that the wetlands dispute was connected to any data center proposal; they show only that a major regulatory question affecting the site’s development was resolved just months before the land was rezoned for heavy industrial use.
