BOYCE — Natchitoches Parish residents making the drive south on Interstate 49 may have already noticed it… a large white construction tent rising from a freshly graded 672-acre site near Boyce, just 39 miles down the road, that could become one of the most significant economic development projects in Central Louisiana history.

The tent, along with graded earth and mobile construction offices on the property, marks the earliest visible stages of development on land purchased by Applied Digital Corporation in December 2025 for $26.9 million.

(Natchitoches Parish Journal Staff Photo… Construction activity is visible from Interstate 49 near Boyce, including a large white tent and graded acreage on the Applied Digital site.)

The facility, known internally as Project Lightning, is planned for approximately 672 acres and is intended to serve high-performance computing and artificial intelligence industries. The project anticipates creating 1,500 construction-related jobs and 200 new employees in its first year of operation, with an average annual wage of $65,000.

The property sits along I-49 just down from the Cleco facilities, a short distance from Boyce. Applied Digital, a Dallas-based firm listed on Nasdaq under the ticker APLD, designs, develops and operates digital infrastructure, cloud services and artificial intelligence facilities across North America. The developer often leases its completed facilities to major tech companies that operate massive computing networks, known as hyperscalers. No hyperscaler tenant has been publicly identified for the Boyce site.

England Authority Creates Special Subdistrict

In December 2025, Applied Digital purchased the 672-acre parcel near Boyce, west of Alexandria. In February, the England Authority… the Rapides Parish economic development district… approved the creation of England District Subdistrict No. 4, an overlay district that encompasses the property.

Louisiana Central, the regional economic development organization, has been coordinating with Applied Digital and state officials on the prospect and has begun discussions with parish taxing authorities about creating special incentives to attract tenants to the site. Amazon, Hut 8 and Meta have each struck payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements for their own Louisiana data center projects.

Louisiana Central CEO Chris Masingill addressed the authority board ahead of the February vote, describing the potential scope of the project as among the most consequential in the parish’s modern history… potentially surpassing major industrial investments dating to the 1950s and 1960s in terms of capital investment and job creation. He was explicit, however, that no agreement is in place and that the site remains an active prospect, not a confirmed project.

Power and Water

Masingill acknowledged Cleco’s role in the planning process, noting the utility’s cooperation as critical to the parish’s ability to compete for the project. The Louisiana Public Service Commission would maintain regulatory authority over any electricity generation required to support operations.

England Airpark Executive Director Ralph Hennessy said Applied Digital has been engaged in discussions with Cleco and that power arrangements are progressing, though whether new generation facilities would need to be built remains unclear.

On water demand, Hennessy said the impact would be modest. Applied Digital’s data centers use a closed-loop cooling system that recirculates coolant continuously, eliminating the need for constant water replenishment… a standard feature in modern data center design.

Residents raised concerns about utility costs and water usage at the February authority meeting.

Tax Status Changes

Tax records reflect the scale of what is being contemplated. The land carried annual parish taxes of roughly $3,900 when classified as Agricultural Vacant prior to 2026. Following Applied Digital’s purchase, the parcel was reclassified as Industrial Vacant, with its assessed value adjusted from $257,350 to $25,287,000. Estimated annual parish property taxes on the undeveloped land now stand at approximately $300,000.

Louisiana’s Data Center Boom

The Boyce site is one of several major data center projects now in motion across Louisiana. Meta is constructing a $10 billion AI campus in Richland Parish in northeast Louisiana. Amazon announced a $12 billion multi-campus project in Caddo and Bossier parishes in February. And Hut 8 is developing a $10 billion facility in West Feliciana Parish.

England Airpark’s Hennessy said his hope is that the Applied Digital project, should it materialize, will provide a significant economic boost for the region, similar to what Hut 8’s currently under-construction data center is expected to deliver for West Feliciana Parish.

No timeline for a formal project announcement has been made public. Applied Digital did not respond to a request for comment prior to publication.

— Natchitoches Parish Journal

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