NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Data centers — and a zoo — are at the heart of a heated debate this week.
At a packed Metro planning commission meeting Thursday night, over 100 people spoke out against data centers in their community. This, as city leaders considered restrictions as to where and how these facilities can be built.
After six hours of public comment and discussion, the commission opted to defer action until their next meeting on June 25.
While the commission looked at legislation that would affect all data centers, much of the attention sparked from a recent proposal to build a facility near the Nashville Zoo.
"The noise, the scale, the vibration, the light, the pollution..." started Jon David Bumpus. "Everything that it would do to that community and that institution — we've already seen what happens."
The proposed legislation, now deferred, will consider where these data centers are allowed to build and what restrictions will keep them in check.
Meanwhile, the company looking to build the center, DC Blox, said it already secured the land, filed permits and received approval. A spokesperson said it wants to work with neighbors and the zoo to address their concerns and added it has designs in place to mitigate noise pollution, minimize water intake, and avoid extra costs to the community.
"It's not really a matter of 'do we want technology or not,' it's about responsible development," said Bumpus. "We got to be proactive. We have to handle this now."
"People around the city care, we care, for generations. You know, this impacting me now, but down the road, what issues could it cause?" asked Sophia Morehouse, a mother of a 4-month-old.
Here is what DC Blox had to say on some of the aforementioned concerns:
- Regarding noise levels, DC Blox said they have designs in place to address concerns, including sound-reducing enclosures, noise buffers, and a plan to place noisy parts farthest from neighbors.
- Regarding water usage, DC Blox said they will pull 200,000 gallons of water from local resources just one time. They then plan to reuse that water moving forward.
- Regarding electricity, DC Blox said they will pay for extra power that the data center needs and said no power cost will be passed on to the community.
DC Blox currently has 23 data center buildings in the United States, and its proposed data center in Nashville would largely power network and data communications.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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