A proposed data center next to the Nashville Zoo is drawing pushback from local community members, including 14-time Country Music Award winner Brad Paisley.
Paisley called the proposed data center — backed by DC Blox, a digital infrastructure company — a “monstrosity” in an Instagram video on Friday. He compared the development, which he said was unfolding without the permission of residents, to AI stealing intellectual property from musicians.
“It’s without the blessing of those who are going to be affected by it,” Paisley said. “Look, Nashville, we have to fight this. We have to set a precedent, because if we can win this and we can stop that from happening where we don’t want it, it’s a precedent that will help other communities.”
He added, “I’m calling on our elected leaders to find a solution to this that’s going to benefit everybody.” Paisley criticized the data center in a separate video earlier this month, calling it an “absolute nightmare scenario.”
In a statement, DC Blox said it was aware of Paisley’s “social media commentary.” It said the data center, which would have an eventual capacity of about 50 megawatts, is not intended to power AI. Data centers have been around for decades, hosting data for things like websites and social media. Large AI data centers, meanwhile, typically have capacities in the hundreds of megawatts or more.
“We want to clarify that the data center is designed to function as a digital connectivity hub and not as a large AI factory,” the company said in its statement. “Designed to meet Middle Tennessee’s surging digital demands, the data center is part of the essential infrastructure that supports and enables the entire community, from residents to local businesses.”
DC Blox said such data centers actually help artists like Paisley.
“In fact, it is this digital infrastructure that enables artists like Mr. Paisley to distribute and stream their music globally, engage with fans on social media, and utilize video platforms to share their voices,” the company said. “All these daily digital services rely on data centers and internet connectivity, as is being proposed for Nashville, and without them, the music industry would not be what it is today.”
A growing number of Americans are resisting large-scale data centers, which are essential to powering AI. Tech companies want to build more facilities to support rapidly advancing AI systems, but are struggling to convince Americans to support construction in their communities. Many critics are concerned that the sprawling developments could worsen water resources, air quality, noise levels, and local wildlife.
While the Nashville data center is smaller than many of the country’s larger AI-focused facilities, its proximity to the Nashville Zoo has raised concerns about its potential impact on the animals and the surrounding environment.
A permit filed with Nashville’s Department of Codes and Building Safety in May said the development would include a nearly 70,000-square-foot single-story building. Local council member Courtney Johnston said the data center would sit about 300 feet from one of the zoo’s facilities.
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In response, the zoo urged community members to sign a petition to stop the data center earlier this month. As of Saturday, the petition has gained almost 530,000 signatures.
“How are we to know this new data center will not lead to irreversible damage to the animals we exist to protect?” the zoo wrote in its petition. “We cannot afford to find out years from now how this facility has negatively impacted our 1.4 million visitors, our local community, or the 3,000 animals entrusting us with their care.”
A spokesperson for the zoo told Business Insider that it’s exploring whether to take legal action.
“As we move forward, we have taken the next step in our fight against the proposed data center. Our Land Use Attorney has filed a zoning appeal with the city,” the spokesperson said. “The goal of this appeal is to overturn the permits that DC BLOX has filed and that have been approved. Additionally, we are working with an environmental rights lawyer to assess any legal actions we can take in regards to the protected species on our property and the proposed data center’s property.”
Some local politicians are also fighting back. Council Member Rollin Horton has proposed legislation that would cap the size of data center construction and where they are built. Johnston, meanwhile, has proposed a temporary data center moratorium in Nashville and Davidson County.
“Like so many municipalities, Nashville was caught flat-footed, not having ‘data center’ defined in our code for purposes of regulating that land use and protecting our sensitive areas like the zoo, schools, parks, and neighborhoods,” Johnston told Business Insider. “We are working hard to rectify that with a current text amendment going through the legislative process.”
In addition to the moratorium, Johnston said she is challenging the zoning administrators’ land use determination alongside the Nashville Zoo’s counsel.
“The Southern Environmental Law Group is also closely watching this development as it relates to the Endangered Species Act,” Johnston said. “As a community and a government and as the elected representative of the zoo and this area of Nashville, I am, and we are, doing everything we can to stop this project from being built out next to our zoo.”
