BL2026-1448

Hundreds protested during a Nashville city council meeting opposing data center construction near the Nashville Zoo and Fisk University. Two bills, BL2026-1391 (stricter data center rules) and BL2026-1448 (temporary moratorium), were approved and will move to a third reading. Concerns centered on noise and electromagnetic vibrations affecting zoo animals, particularly clouded leopards.

Nashville’s Metro Council will vote on four data center-related bills, including zoning rules, a moratorium on permits, and property condemnation near the Nashville Zoo. Mayor Freddie O’Connell supports key bills and filed late legislation targeting a DC Blox project, while two competing bills aim to revive the Nashville Entertainment Commission.

Nashville's Metro Council will use a free, ticketed queuing system for public hearings on two data center bills at a July 7 meeting. The system aims to manage increased attendance as the council considers restrictions on data center construction, including a proposed ban on large facilities and a temporary moratorium. The legislation is linked to efforts to block a DC Blox data center near the Nashville Zoo.

The Nashville Zoo is urging residents to attend a Metro Council public hearing to oppose a proposed data center near its property. The zoo seeks support for suspending rules to add the mayor's acquisition bill to the agenda, passing legislation (BL2026-1391) to protect data center development, and a temporary moratorium (BL2026-1448). DC Blox, the company behind the data center, claims the project is legally protected.