The New Orleans City Council voted Wednesday to hold off on approving any data centers in city, pending more study.
Citing concerns about energy demand and neighborhood quality, the council voted unanimously to put a pause on any data centers in the city.
Council member J.P. Morrell said the city's legal staff must figure out just how to legally define them.
"When you don't define an item, you allow for loopholes for them to attempt to exist," said Morrell, citing the trouble the city has had regulating short-term rentals as an example.
Morrell said the object is figure out how to create a legal definition for data centers so once a permanent ordinance restricting them is in place, it will be effective.
But some residents said data centers could be a benefit to the city.
"If you have a chance to get see what technology does -- attracts wealth, attracts investors, attracts prosperity," said Frank Scurlock, who spoke during public comment. "Most importantly, it attracts the people. The people with real-paying jobs."