Nashville officials are turning to eminent domain to block a data center planned near a local zoo, an effort that has gained attention far beyond Tennessee.
By a 27-5 vote, the Nashville Metro Council early Wednesday approved a proposal by Mayor Freddie O’Connell giving the regional government body power to move forward with taking control of the South Nashville property for city use. The mayor said government officials will next proceed with the legal process to buy the property.
“I’m glad Metro Council passed our legislation that gives us the option to acquire property next to the zoo for a number of public needs,” O’Connell said in a statement. “We’re working closely with our Finance and General Services departments to plan for the site.”
Developer DC Blox bought a 23-acre site with plans to build a single-story data center spanning 69,220 square feet and expected to cost more than $700 million. The move garnered opposition from celebrities and spawned a protest petition circulated by the zoo with more than 500,000 signatures.
The Atlanta-based developer earlier said the site, currently housing older office buildings, has previously been used for data center functions and the project would not impose additional burdens on the community.
But the project was opposed by zoo officials, citing concerns over noise, light and other disruptions for its animals and potential harm to the surrounding environment and resources including electric power. The zoo filed a protest petition on Change.org that it said had collected more than 500,000 signatures by the end of July.
Petition signers and other opponents included music stars Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow and Jack White.
A DC Blox statement last month said the developer was in “collaborative talks” with the mayor’s office regarding the project. A DC Blox spokesperson told CoStar News in an email on Wednesday that the developer had “no updates to share at this time.”
In late July, the Metro Council approved new zoning and related restrictions on data center development and implemented a moratorium on new permit approvals to run through Dec. 1.
More than 200 U.S. communities and at least 14 states are considering development moratoriums or other restrictions. New York recently paused development permits for one year to study effects of the facilities tied to rising use of artificial intelligence technologies.