Data Center Vs The Zoo: Nashville Officials Warn Proposed Facility Next Door Threatens Rare Animals

The Nashville Zoo is fighting a connection to build a 70,000-square-foot information center adjacent to its property, informing nan task could endanger thousands of animals.

DC Blox, nan institution down nan project, intends to conception nan installation successful nan Grassmere Business Park, which sits straight adjacent to nan zoo. An online petition against nan project has already gathered much than 330,000 verified signatures.

Zoo officials explicitly targeted nan rapid description of exertion infrastructure successful nan petition, which has been shared much than 126,000 times.

“AI Data Centers are being built astatine an alarming pace, posing imaginable risks to divers and susceptible communities,” nan petition states. “The adjacent 1 could beryllium located conscionable feet distant from 1 of nan astir vulnerable and uncommon collections of animals successful nan state unless Nashville Zoo supporters and metropolis leaders intervene.”

Zoo CEO Rick Schwartz said nan facility’s imaginable ray and sound contamination airs a superior threat to nan zoo’s 3,000 animals. He added that DC Blox has not engaged pinch nan zoo regarding these issues.

“We person immoderate of nan astir delicate and rarest animals successful nan world, specifically our clouded leopard, which is our signature species. We've bred much than anyone other successful nan world. We conscionable had our 50th babe born, and they're very delicate to mechanical noises and ray infiltration,” Schwartz said.

The zoo, which drew 1.4 cardinal visitors successful 2025, is presently preparing for a $65 cardinal grounds centered connected Indonesia, which Schwartz described arsenic nan largest task successful nan institution's history.

“[It] has orangutans, clouded leopards, character kangaroos, underwater viewing of otters, elephantine hornbills, vertebrate of paradise,” Schwartz said. “It’s going to beryllium an astonishing project.”

Zoo leaders had besides hoped to usage nan neighboring tract for a early children’s acquisition and conservation center.

In nan petition, nan zoo based on that developers person offered nary impervious that nan installation will beryllium safe for nan section environment.

“Yet, pinch nary regulations aliases safeguards for usage successful place, developers intend to build a 69,000 quadrate feet information halfway connected onshore abutting nan Zoo,” nan archive states. “They asseverate nan organization request not worry, that building a information halfway adjacent doorway to 1 of nan region’s astir delicate environments will origin nary harm. No 1 has shared studies aliases biology effect assessments. Just their word.”

The matter besides states that these business accommodation “consume tremendous amounts of energy and water; straining powerfulness grids, depleting earthy resources, and damaging our watershed.”

These information centers usability arsenic monolithic warehouses filled pinch machine servers that support nan net running, requiring important earthy resources to forestall overheating. Tennessee presently houses 60 information centers, and nan Tennessee Valley Authority expects that number to double by 2030.

A precocious passed authorities rule requires information halfway developers to screen their ain infrastructure costs truthful inferior companies do not raise section energy bills to meet nan power demand.

In a connection provided to WTVF, DC Blox said it was committed to minimizing its effect connected nan surrounding area.

“The installation will not beryllium an AI mill placing a load connected section resources,” nan institution said.

DC Blox pledged to usage waterless cooling designs to sphere earthy resources, screen each infrastructure costs required by nan section inferior and strictly support acceptable sound levels.

“DC BLOX understands and appreciates nan concerns that person been raised astir our recently projected information halfway successful Nashville adjacent nan zoo,” nan connection read. “We look guardant to moving pinch section officials, organization members, and nan Nashville Zoo to minimize section impacts and to guarantee that location will beryllium nary wellness risks to residents and animals.”

Schwartz is calling connected nan nationalist to intervene earlier municipal leaders make a last determination connected nan permits.

“We want nan organization to do precisely that, to guidelines pinch america to thief conflict against this information center,” Schwartz said. “There's sewage to beryllium a amended spot that it tin spell alternatively of astir nan number 1 attraction that's focused connected animals and children.”

The Independent has contacted DC Blox and nan Nashville Zoo for comment.