What to expect at Nashville’s data center public hearing
The Nashville Metro Council is holding public hearings on two data center bills: one proposes extensive zoning regulations limiting where data centers can be built and imposing environmental requirements, and another suggests a temporary moratorium on new data center construction in Davidson County. A bill allowing the city to use eminent domain for a property eyed by DC BLOX is also a possibility.
The Nashville Metro Council is scheduled to hold public hearings on data center regulations at its upcoming meeting. A significant turnout is anticipated, prompting the Council to implement a ticketed queuing system for speakers for the first time.
Two primary data center bills are on the agenda for public hearing. Agenda item 44 concerns zoning regulations, proposing extensive rules that would restrict data center construction to areas already zoned for heavy industrial use, preventing proximity to residential areas, schools, churches, and parks. This bill also includes restrictions on on-site power generation and mandates the use of closed-loop cooling systems for large data centers to address water pollution concerns. The second bill, agenda item 46, proposes a temporary moratorium on building new data centers in Davidson County until further regulations can be enacted.
Additionally, a bill filed by Mayor Freddie O'Connell may also be introduced. This bill would empower the city to use eminent domain to acquire property currently being considered by DC BLOX for a data center adjacent to the Nashville Zoo. For this bill to be considered, the Council would need to suspend its rules to add it to the agenda, where it would undergo its first of three readings.
The two main bills concerning zoning and the moratorium are currently on their second of three readings. If passed, they would require one more approval from the Council, likely at their next meeting in July, before becoming law.