Brad Paisley Puts Spotlight On Nashville Zoo’s AI Data Center Fight
on Jun 30, 2026
About a month ago, the Nashville Zoo created a Change.org petition seeking support from local officials and the community to prevent an artificial intelligence (AI) data center from being developed “just feet away from one of the most fragile and rare collections of animals in the country.”
One of the initiative’s most prominent supporters has been country artist Brad Paisley, who posted a video on June 6 regarding the proposal by DC BLOX to develop a new data center by the Nashville Zoo.
Describing the proposal at the time as a “nightmare scenario,” he encouraged people to sign the petition on Change.org, saying, “Let’s stop it. They don’t have to do this here. Build it somewhere else.”
Then, on June 26, Paisley shared another video, but this time saying, “I’m calling on our elected leaders to find a solution to this that’s going to benefit everybody.”
Now, the mayor of Nashville and Davidson County has shared a solution that may stop the AI data center from moving forward.
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Brad Paisley’s Call For Elected Leaders To Act On AI Data Center By Nashville Zoo May Have An Answer
According to the Nashville Scene, DC BLOX filed a building permit with the aim of constructing a “one-story, 10-megawatt, 69,220-square foot data center at the site,” with an additional 40-megawatt data center building.
Stormwater from this project is expected to drain directly into the Nashville Zoo’s existing stormwater infrastructure.
The Nashville Zoo describes the combined 50-megawatt data center project as giving off the energy consumption “equal to 30,000 to 50,000 single-family homes.”
As of June 30, the zoo’s petition has garnered 534,000 signatures.
On Monday, June 29, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell shared in a statement on social media that he’s filed condemnation legislation, seeking eminent domain regarding the property in question.
“We’re filing this condemnation legislation because Metro has a legitimate need for this property,” wrote Mayor O’Connell. “I have carefully followed the concerns from the community and the Zoo and also remain deeply concerned about the proposed use.”
Through this condemnation legislation, eminent domain is being sought, which would find the government of Nashville in a position to take the property and convert it to a space for “public use.”
Speaking with the Nashville Scene, Mayor O’Connell was more specific, saying, “With the closure of the Metro Southeast campus and growing needs at [the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure] and the fire department, we’ve identified a variety of needs for this site.”
By implementing eminent domain, there will likely need to be compensation provided to the owner of the property, which is presently MarketStreet Enterprises.
Countering this, Doug Sloan, a representative for the AI data center company DC BLOX, stated, as quoted by WKRN, “It should be noted the zoo is surrounded not by some farm or pastoral setting, it’s in the middle of an industrial park adjacent to the third largest railyard in the nation.”
Further, DC BLOX told ABC News 4 the following:
“There continues to be misinformation shared in the public about the DC BLOX project in Nashville, and we are proceeding in our efforts to meet with city officials, zoo leaders, and community members to discuss their concerns and to find a favorable resolution. This project is not an AI factory, as some fear. No noise will be generated above existing ambient sound levels on the site, and we are confident we can design solutions to address all other concerns raised.”
Nashville is reportedly home to 12 data centers already, with another being proposed on the campus of Fisk University, a historically Black college in the city.
In total, Local 3 News reports there are approximately 60 data centers in Tennessee, with the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency determining it would not set nationwide standards for data centers.
Looking ahead, the Nashville Zoo is requesting that concerned citizens attend the Metro Council Public Hearing at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday, July 7.
“At the planning commission, they will call out a series of bills,” the Zoo explains. “You need to let them know you are there to speak in support of council member Rollin Horton’s legislation BL2026-1391. Each person will be given 2 minutes to speak.”
Watch Brad Paisley’s most recent video asking for help in preventing an AI data center from being developed by the Nashville Zoo, here:
A letter written to DC BLOX outlines the negative environmental impact, even beyond the Nashville Zoo, that the proposed data center may bring about:
Other Notable Petition Signers
Among those who responded to Brad Paisley’s June 6 call for the AI data center to not go forward by the Nashville Zoo were some prominent artists in the country music scene.
Sheryl Crow wrote in the comments on Paisley’s post, “Thank you, Brad for raising your voice. I am signing the petition and ask others to do the same.”
ERNEST shared Brad Paisley’s June 6 video on Instagram.
Christian artist Brandon Lake replied, “SIGNED! Heart breaking.”
Even Nashville-based artist Jack White responded, simply writing, “what brad said.”
Sign the petition on Change.org, here.
This is a developing story.
