Nashville Zoo Opposes Proposed Data Center in Adjacent Business Park
The Nashville Zoo is opposing plans by DC Blox to build a 69,000-square-foot data center on land directly adjacent to its property, citing risks from noise, light, and pollution to its 3,000 animals. The zoo launched an online petition that has gathered over 375,000 signatures within a week, and a Metro Nashville councilmember has pledged to file a moratorium on the project. The dispute highlights growing national tensions over the rapid expansion of data center infrastructure near sensitive communities and environments.
DC Blox has proposed constructing a 69,000-square-foot data center in Nashville's Grassmere Business Park, which sits directly adjacent to the Nashville Zoo. Zoo CEO Rick Schwartz warned that the facility's noise and light pollution could endanger sensitive species, including the zoo's clouded leopard breeding program — the most prolific in the world, with 50 births — as well as other endangered animals such as red pandas. The zoo also noted that the site had been earmarked for a future children's education and conservation center, and that no environmental impact assessments have been provided by the developer. Metro Nashville Councilmember Courtney Johnston pledged legislative action, including a moratorium, and highlighted that current single-story plans could expand to a three-story, 40MW facility with a dedicated substation and generator yards. DC Blox responded by pledging waterless cooling, coverage of infrastructure costs, and acceptable noise levels, and said it looks forward to working with local officials and the zoo. The conflict mirrors broader national disputes, with cities like Seattle imposing temporary moratoriums on new data center construction, while legal challenges in Texas and North Carolina have complicated such efforts. Tennessee currently hosts 60 data centers, a number the Tennessee Valley Authority expects to double by 2030.
What's missing
No independent environmental or acoustic assessment has been publicly released by either party, making it unclear what the actual measurable impact on animals would be.
How coverage differed
The Independent framed the story with emphasis on the zoo's emotional appeal and the threat to rare animals, while TechRadar provided more technical detail about the facility's expansion plans and the broader national legislative landscape around data center regulation. CBS News offered minimal detail in its brief report.
What different sources said
- The IndependentLeft
Data Center vs the Zoo: Nashville officials warn proposed facility next door threatens rare animals
- CBS NewsCenter
Nashville residents fighting proposed data center next to zoo
- TechRadarCenter
Nashville Zoo leads fight against mega AI data center — over 375,000 sign petition against 69,000 square foot building set to overlook animal habitats
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