The Atlanta-based company looking to establish a data center near the Nashville Zoo — a move that has spurred significant citizen pushback — has finalized the $23 million purchase of the property.
Axios Nashville reports DC BLOX now owns the 23.49-acre property, which offers two structures and an address of 648 Grassmere Park. The Davidson County Register of Deeds has yet to record the transaction, with Axios Nashville citing a DC BLOX attorney as confirming the closing.
The seller was Nashville-based MarketStreet Enterprises, perhaps best known as the master developer of The Gulch. Metro records note MarketStreet acquired the South Nashville property in June 2015 for about $25.94 million. The two buildings located on the site seemingly offer no tenants.
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DC BLOX, a digital infrastructure company, has filed for a building permit with Metro proposing to construct a one-story, 10-megawatt, 69,220-square-foot data center at the site. Additional engineering reports indicate that the project could also include a three-story, 40-megawatt data center building, a substation, associated parking lots and a guard house. Metro stormwater permit documents show that the site’s stormwater drainage outfalls flow directly onto degrading stormwater infrastructure located on the Nashville Zoo property.
“Despite the news about DC Blox closing on the property, we remain vigilant in ensuring the health and well-being of the Zoo and our surrounding community,” Leah Trice, spokesperson for the Nashville Zoo, tells the Scene's sister the Nashville Post on Monday via email. "There has not been any information that ensures us that there are no risks to the vulnerable species in our care long-term."
The purchase comes as the Metro Council on July 8 passed a bill on second reading seeking to establish strict regulations on data centers. Davidson County does not currently have any regulations on data centers, facilities that power computing software, AI and other digital and information technology infrastructure. Councilmember Rollin Horton is sponsoring the legislation, with 27 councilmembers co-sponsoring.
Also during the July 8 council meeting, the 40-member body on second reading advanced a bill that would yield a 90-day pause on data center construction in Nashville, an effort backed by Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
The moratorium legislation is sponsored by Councilmember Courtney Johnston, whose district includes the Nashville Zoo. Several people spoke in favor of the moratorium, though many also pushed for an indefinite pause on the construction of data center projects.
In late June, O’Connell's office filed legislation seeking to use eminent domain to acquire the property. The second reading for this is set for the Tuesday, July 21, council meeting.
Trice also says in her statement to the Post that the zoo continues to encourage public support for the council's legislation. She adds that the zoo's attorney submitted a zoning appeal, which will have its first reading before Metro Council on Aug. 20.
“This effort would halt the approval of permits submitted by DC Blox for the building of the data center adjacent to the zoo,” Trice says.
Data centers typically use significant quantities of electricity. Power supply is a key concern from some citizens, who have cited the fallout after Winter Storm Fern leading to hundreds of thousands of electrical outages in January. Of note, Fisk University officials also are proposing a data center for their campus. That project has also been met with community backlash.
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A recent report from nonpartisan think tank ThinkTennessee notes that electricity consumption by data centers in the Tennessee Valley region grew sevenfold between 2020 and 2025, and that residents living near the facilities often see higher electricity costs than otherwise.
In addition, Nashville Zoo president and CEO Rick Schwartz is worried about potential noise being emitted from the data center — sound that could negatively impact the eating, sleeping and mating habits of the exotic wildlife facility's animals.
Prior to the July 8 council meeting, DC BLOX emailed reporters a press release noting the company has held “productive discussions” with the Nashville Zoo board chair and Schwartz during “collaborative talks organized by the mayor’s office.” The mayor's office disputed the facts of that release, noting Metro's intent to continue its eminent domain pursuit.
The press release maintained that the facility would not function as an AI data center and that DC BLOX has committed to environmental stewardship as well as other measures to minimize noise, light and power-use from the center.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post. This story has been updated with additional statements received after publication.
