Nashville’s Metro Council pushed through a set of data center zoning bills in the early hours of Wednesday morning, following one of the longest public comment sessions the historic Metro Courthouse has seen in recent memory.
Council members voted on second reading to approve new zoning regulations along with a temporary moratorium on data center development in Nashville and Davidson County. The vote came after more than 200 residents showed up to speak, many staying well past midnight to voice their opposition to two specific projects: a proposed DC Blox facility near the Nashville Zoo and a planned data center on Fisk University’s campus.
With 245 people signed up to speak at two minutes each, the public hearing stretched past eight hours. Nearly everyone who took the microphone asked council members to back both the moratorium and stricter zoning rules for future data center projects.
The turnout followed DC Blox’s announcement that it intends to build a large-scale data center next to the zoo, paired with news that Fisk University is exploring an on-campus facility of its own. Residents pushed back hard, raising concerns about noise, water consumption, emissions, and the potential impact on nearby wildlife and neighborhoods.
Speakers ranged from longtime neighbors to zoo advocates, several choking up as they described what the zoo means to the community. One resident called for no compromise at all, saying half measures and watered-down restrictions weren’t acceptable. Others focused specifically on how a large industrial facility would clash with the surrounding park setting and animal habitats.
Adding another layer to the fight, Mayor Freddie O’Connell has filed legislation seeking to acquire the land next to the zoo through eminent domain for public use. That measure received its first reading during Tuesday night’s council meeting.
DC Blox pushes commitments, mayor calls them “inaccurate”
Ahead of the hearing, DC Blox released a statement laying out what it called a series of contractually binding commitments tied to the Grassmere Business Park project. The company said its leadership met with Mayor O’Connell and Metro legal staff last week to talk through environmental concerns, animal welfare, and the project’s effect on the surrounding community.
According to the company, the facility would not operate as an AI data center and would not include any onsite power generation. DC Blox laid out several specific promises:
- Sound: A contractual cap of 65 dB(A) at the property line, below the site’s current 85 dB(A) zoning allowance.
- Audiology study: Funding for a third-party specialist to assess acoustic impact on the zoo’s animals.
- Emissions: Exhaust after-treatment technology on backup generators, with routine testing limited to windows coordinated with the zoo.
- Water: A waterless or closed-loop cooling system that would use less water than the office building currently on the property.
- Stormwater: Reduced impervious surface area and new retention systems to improve runoff compared to current conditions.
- Power: Full funding of all power infrastructure and utility upgrades, with a pledge that nearby residents and businesses would not see higher power bills as a result.
- Light: Shielded, downward-facing fixtures and limited external lighting, which the company says would actually reduce light levels compared to the existing office building and parking lot.
DC Blox also said it’s open to shrinking the project’s scope or repositioning it on the site, and launched a website, dcbloxnash.com, with more details on the plans.
Mayor O’Connell wasn’t convinced. He called the statement inaccurate and accused the company of trying to clean up a public relations problem of its own making, suggesting the timing was designed to influence Tuesday night’s council votes.
“To be clear, I called a meeting because there are three parties interested in the property, and Metro intends to acquire the land. We will proceed in Metro’s interests,” O’Connell said.
The DC Blox project still needs permit approvals to move forward, and Metro Council continues to weigh broader legislation that would restrict where future data centers can be built across Davidson County, including limits near schools, churches, and zoos.
This is a developing story, and 615Nav will continue to follow updates as Metro Council legislation moves forward.