NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Across the country, data centers are rapidly being built to fuel AI and digital communications.
Their environmental impact and placement in both rural and densely populated locations, however, has sparked intense debate.
At a packed Nashville Metro Planning Commission meeting Thursday night, more than 100 people spoke out against these centers being placed in their community, as city leaders considered restrictions on where and how such facilities can be built.
While the commission reviewed legislation that would affect all data centers, much of the attention was driven by a recent proposal to build a facility near the Nashville Zoo.
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"The noise, the scale, the vibration, the light, the pollution," said Jon David Bumpus with TennGreen Land Conservancy. "Everything that it would do to that community and that institution — we've already seen what happens."
The proposed legislation, now deferred until June 25, will determine where data centers are allowed to be built and what restrictions will keep them in check.
Meanwhile, the company looking to build the facility, DC Blox, said it has already secured the land, filed permits, and received approval. A spokesperson said the company wants to work with neighbors and the zoo to address their concerns, adding that it has designs in place to mitigate noise pollution, minimize water intake, and avoid extra costs to the community.
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"It's not really a matter of 'do we want technology or not,' it's about responsible development," said Bumpus. "We’ve got to be proactive. We have to handle this now."
"People around the city care — we care — for generations. This is impacting me now, but down the road, what issues could it cause?" asked resident Sophia Morehouse.
DC Blox told the commission it plans to:
- Address noise concerns by including sound-reducing enclosures, noise buffers, and placing noisy parts farthest from neighbors.
- Pull 200,000 gallons of water from local resources only once, then reuse that water moving forward.
- Pay for extra power the data center requires and ensure no power cost is passed on to the community.
DC Blox currently has 23 data center buildings in the United States, and its proposed facility in Nashville would largely support network and data communications.
This story was originally published by Nikki Hauser with the Scripps News Group station in Nashville, Tennessee.
