By Anna Skinner0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Thousands of people have rallied behind a petition to block construction of a proposed data center next to the Nashville Zoo as conservationists and residents worry the project could harm animals, strain local resources and permanently alter the surrounding environment.
The petition, hosted on Change.org and created by the zoo on Wednesday, has received nearly 37,000 signatures as of 6 p.m. Thursday Eastern time and is growing quickly. It urges city leaders to reject plans for the facility, which would be built on land directly adjacent to the zoo’s property in South Nashville. Petition supporters argue the development—part of a broader boom in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven infrastructure—poses risks that have not been adequately studied, particularly for wildlife kept in sensitive, managed habitats.
The petition comes amid a surge in data center construction across the United States, driven by growing demand for AI, cloud computing and digital services. Thousands of facilities are already in operation nationwide, with many more planned or under construction. At the same time, resistance is growing. Communities, environmental groups and local governments are increasingly pushing back, citing concerns about energy consumption, water use, noise pollution and the long-term environmental footprint of these projects.
Read More on News"Our biggest concerns about the data center being built are the negative environmental and public health impacts these centers are known to cause," zoo spokesperson Leah Trice told Newsweek. "Data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and water; straining power grids, depleting natural resources, and damaging our watershed. That's in addition to noise from generators and light pollution from bright security and operational lighting that can dramatically affect animal behavior, disrupting their natural photo periods and rhythms. The proximity of the DC Blox data center to the habitats of the animals in our care, including clouded leopards, our signature conservation species is especially concerning. We want to ensure a safe, comfortable, and stress-free environment for all of the animals here as well as our visitors, their families, and the local community."
New Nashville Data Center: What We Know
DC Blox, a Georgia-based data center developer, has applied for a city permit for construction of a more than 69,000-square-foot data center adjacent to the Nashville property, The Tennessean reported, on a site that could eventually expand with additional buildings and supporting infrastructure.
The zoo's petition urges council members and Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, among other city leaders, to reject the proposal, but District 5 Councilmember Sean Parker told Newsweek it seems "there is no associated legislation or approval required from the Metro Council, so I do not believe we will have an opportunity to vote on it."
"Based on what I know, I am not in favor of the proposed data center by the zoo," Parker said.
Newsweek reached out to O'Connell via email and to DC Blox by online contact form for comment.
Zoo officials and petition backers have expressed concern that without proper environmental assessments, the project could lead to “irreversible damage” to animals, visitors and nearby communities, adding that the zoo's top priority is to "protect our precious animals and their environment."
..."How are we to know this new data center will not lead to irreversible damage to the animals we exist to protect?" the petition said.
Of the thousands of people signing the petition, several have posted comments about their opinions regarding the proposed data center.
"I live by the backside of the zoo property. I love hearing the gibbons hooting and screaming in the day," one wrote. "Our neighbor does not want or need a data center. We have families, pets and zoo critters that call Nashville home. Help us keep our neighborhood peace."
"[P]utting a data center that uses up essential natural resources for life anywhere is disgusting. Putting a data [center] that uses up essential natural resources for life next to a zoo where hordes of innocent animals live is inhumane," another wrote. "[E]veryone and everything needs and deserves clean water to live. [I] will not watch the place I grew up in fall into crisis because of this."
"Regardless of your stance on data centers, I'm sure everyone would understand that adding a data center that close to the Zoo would increase the stress of all the animals and I am not ok with that and neither should anyone else," another wrote.
How Many Animals Live at the Nashville Zoo?
The Nashville Zoo is home to 3,000 animals, according to the petition, and welcomes 1.4 million visitors annually.
"We are calling on the Nashville community to join us in our fight to stop this data center from being built, now," the petition said.
Nashville Data Center Developer Pushes Back
Developers have argued that the proposed facility would provide economic benefits and critical infrastructure to support Nashville’s growth.
"The DC BLOX project would provide much-needed digital infrastructure to Nashville to support future economic growth and represents a substantial investment and expected tax contributions, especially compared to alternative uses of the site," the company said in a statement to The Tennessean. "The facility will not be an AI factory placing a burden on local resources. From our past projects, as well as the proposed Nashville facility, we commit to using closed-loop or waterless cooling designs to minimize ongoing water use. We commit to the local utility to pay for all power used as well as any new energy infrastructure required to support our project. And we commit to maintaining and testing noise levels to measurable and acceptable levels and adhering to all local environmental requirements."
Still, opponents say those assurances fall short without independent analysis—and argue that economic gains do not outweigh the potential environmental risks, especially in a location adjacent to a major conservation site.
What Happens Next
The proposed Nashville facility remains in the early stages of review.
"As far as we know, the permits have not been approved," Trice said. "We are calling on the public to support our petition to fight back against the proposed data center. We are confident that with the public’s support and pressure, we can prevent this center from being built and protect our endangered species and the people that reside in our community."
"If the proposed data center is approved, the noise, light, and water pollution from the data center will affect the health and wellbeing of over 3,000 vulnerable animals and thousands of people in the South Nashville community," Trice added.
The petition continues to gain traction, reflecting a broader movement that is increasingly shaping the debate over where data centers should be built—and at what cost.
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