Scott Heflinger at the Metro Council meeting to support zoning restrictions ad a moratorium on data centers.
A proposed data center next door to the Nashville Zoo set off a series of protests and local legislation to address the concerns of Davidson County citizens. A 23.5-acre site appraised at over $36 million off Nolensville Pike/Gasper Park, is where DC Blox planned to build a single-story data center. DC Blox purchased the property on July 16, 2026, when the $23 million deed was executed, and it was officially recorded with the Davidson County Register of Deeds on July 20, 2026.
On July 21, Nashville's Metro Council passed comprehensive zoning restrictions and a permit freeze under bills BL2026-1391 and BL2026-1448. The legislation completely bans hyperscale facilities over 500,000 square feet, places strict buffer zones near residential areas and schools, and halts new data center permits through December 1, 2026.
All bills (ordinances) in the Nashville Metro Council require three separate readings and votes before final passage. Several Sierra Club members - Scott Heflinger, Rick Herron, and Dan Joranko - gave passionate public comments at the second reading of the proposed bills on July 7. Multiple groups in Nashville suggested 15 amendments addressing size limits, buffer zones, and operational controls which were taken up by various council members, with 9 of these amendments passing on the third reading on July 21.
The moratorium might delay but does not permanently block DC Blox from building. Whether the project is stopped depends on separate zoning rules, a potential eminent domain land grab by the city, and whether DC Blox already secured vested rights.
As for the proposed data center by DC Blox next to the zoo, Nashville Zoo rejected a recently proposed MOU for a smaller data center. Zoo leadership decided that any sized data center would be harmful to their most sensitive and endangered species such as the clouded leopards. The noise level and frequency would harm the natural behaviors of these animals.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell filed condemnation legislation to use eminent domain to acquire the proposed site near the Nashville Zoo, stating the property would be critical for Metro services such as a health center and fire station This bill BL2026-1489 passed on July 7, 2026, despite an objection by Councilmember Joy Styles. The second reading passed on July 21, 2026. It was subsequently referred back to the Budget and Finance Committee for further discussion before its final vote in August.