NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – New documents show a data center proposal next to the Nashville Zoo includes plans for a second building three times larger than the first.
Nearly 350 pages of permits obtained by WSMV show what an Atlanta-based company wants to build in an office park against the zoo property. On top of a one-story 69,000 sq. ft. data center, DC Blox has plans to build a second facility that is much larger.
The documents show the current 10-megawatt data center and a three-story 202,000 sq. ft. 40-megawatt data center right across the parking lot. Each building will have its own generator yard, plus a power substation and a guard house, according to the plans.
Permit applications and environmental impact studies filed with Metro Nashville shows a proposed data center could expand to a much larger campus.(WSMV)
More than 360,000 people have signed a petition to stop the data center in less than a week. People who live near the zoo said they don’t want to deal with the problems, like air and water pollution, that data centers can create.
“I don’t want the noise in our neighborhood,” said Robert Vischer, who lives next to the zoo and supports the petition. “It’s kind of concerning to me that there’s no specific zoning for an AI data center. It would be like putting a Walmart next door (to my house). That’s not the best idea. But a Walmart in a shopping area, is a great thing.”
Zoo files zoning appeal
Zoo leaders said their land use attorney has filed a zoning appeal with the city. They want to overturn the permits that DC Blox has filed and to prevent more from being approved.
In a statement, the zoo said it is very thankful for the support from the community that has reached out sharing their concerns with the proposed development.
“As we move forward, we have taken the next step in our fight against the proposed data center,” a zoo spokesperson said. “We are asking the public to continue to contact the Metro Nashville Council Members and Nashville’s Mayor sharing their support for the Zoo.”
Right now, data centers can be built in any commercial or industrial zoning areas across Nashville because the city doesn’t have any special zoning categories for the computer processing centers.
A proposal filed last week at Metro Council looks to create the city’s first-ever data center zoning rules. The proposal includes limits on what city resources the centers can use, where they can be built and how they are allowed to operate.
That proposal passed its first reading and has been referred to the Metro Planning Commission for a public hearing and discussion at this Thursday’s meeting.
There are concerns it could take months until those rules would be on the book, so an emergency bill filed late Monday looks to stop all data center development in Metro Nashville until November.
Company seeks community meetings
DC Blox told WSMV last week they’re looking to minimize the environmental impact from the data center. That includes using a closed-loop or waterless cooling design.
The company said it also plans to make sure the facility does not violate any local or federal noise restrictions. DC Blox already operates or is planning 23 data centers in the southeastern United States.
Last month, the company announced plans to expand operations with $850 million in funding to grow its hyperscale data center portfolio. While these two facilities would be larger than most other data centers in the Nashville area, they currently fall below the hyperscale level.
When asked Tuesday about plans for this second, larger data center near the zoo and other expansions, a company spokesperson said it’s too early for them to comment on their future plans.
“DC BLOX is, however, requesting meetings with community officials and local leaders and look forward to listening and discussing how we can best serve the community’s needs and deliver the benefits of our project,” they said in a statement.
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