Overview
- DC BLOX filed permits in early June for a roughly 69,000‑square‑foot data center at Grassmere Business Park that the company says would draw about 50 megawatts of power and run 24/7.
- The Nashville Zoo filed a zoning appeal to overturn already approved permits and residents packed a Metro Planning Commission hearing on June 11 to oppose the project.
- A nationwide petition has drawn hundreds of thousands of signatures and public figures including Brad Paisley and Sheryl Crow have urged supporters to back the zoo's campaign.
- DC BLOX says the site will use closed‑loop or waterless cooling, limit noise and light with engineered shields and enclosures, and pay for any necessary power upgrades; opponents say those measures may not prevent harm to animals, water and the local grid.
- Council Bill BL2026‑1391 would ban very large data centers near homes and require buffers and closed‑loop cooling while a recent Tennessee law makes developers pay for grid upgrades, meaning the outcome could constrain this project and shape future siting rules nationwide.