Nashville Zoo, Brad Paisley express gratitude as petition against data center surges

A swelling wave of public opposition is building around a proposed data center near the Nashville Zoo. The proposed data center would cover an area a little larger than a football field, including end zones, which is about 69,220-square-feet. The property has not been sold, and the grading permit application is still going through Metro’s process. Nashville Zoo President and CEO Rick Schwartz says zoo leaders are against the proposal. A petition opposing the data center gained more than 150,000 signatures in about a day and has since then surged to over 300,000 signatures. Zoo leaders say they are escalating their fight and urging residents to press city leaders to act. “Nashville Zoo is overwhelmed with gratitude for the support from the community as we continue our fight against the proposed data center,” the zoo said in an updated statement. The zoo also thanked “Brad Paisley, a dear friend of the Zoo for making a public statement on our behalf. The zoo said it has taken a new legal step to challenge the project. “Our Land Use Attorney and former Metro Codes Director Bill Herbert has filed a zoning appeal with the city,” the statement said. “The goal of this appeal is to overturn the permits that DC BLOX has filed and that have been approved.” DC Blox operates data centers across the Southeast, including Georgia, South Carolina, West Tennessee, Florida and Alabama. DC Blox has not publicly shared details about the facility’s expected energy use, water demand or overall investment. FOX 17 News reached out to DC Blox about the project and the zoo’s concerns. As of Monday afternoon, the company had not responded. Metro Councilmember Rollin Horton has filed legislation aimed at restricting and regulating large data centers in Nashville. The bill passed first reading last week. https://fox17.com/news/local/nashville-zoo-expresses-gratitude-as-petition-against-data-center-tops-328000-brad-paisely _______________ Follow! Like! Share! Subscribe! WZTV on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foxnashville/ WZTV on X: https://twitter.com/FOXNashville https://fox17.com Email us: news@fox17.com Call the Newsroom: 615.369.1717 Fox 17 provides local news, weather, sports, traffic and entertainment for Nashville and nearby towns and communities in Middle Tennessee, including Forest Hills, Brentwood, Franklin, Fairview, Dickson, Clarksville, White House, Greenbrier, Springfield, Gallatin, Hartsville, Lebanon, Mt Juliet, Smyrna, College Grove, Thompson’s Station, Centerville, Murfreesboro, Columbia, Lewisburg, Shelbyville, Manchester, McMinnville, Smithville, Sparta, Cookeville, Hohenwald, Waverly, Camden, Paris, Lafayette, Portland, and in Kentucky, Russelville, Bowling Green, Franklin, Alvaton, Scottsville, Hopkinsville, Glasgow. #WZTV #fox17news #foxnashville #nashville #tennessee #tn #middletn #localnews #breakingnews #trending