Over the weekend, Brad Paisley urged fans to help stop a proposed data center just steps away from the Nashville Zoo.
“It doesn’t belong there,” the singer said in a video post to social media.
“It would be an enormous monstrosity, an absolute eyesore and detract in every way from not only the zoo but that area,” Paisley continued. “It’s not too late to stop it, either.”
What Did Brad Paisley Say About the Proposed Data Center Next To the Nashville Zoo?
In a joint post with the zoo, Paisley asked fans to sign a petition calling for a halt to construction plans for the data center.
As of Monday morning (June 8), that petition has amassed nearly 313,000 signatures.
He called the project “an absolute nightmare scenario,” saying that “they don’t have the power to build this, they don’t have the water.”
But beyond logistics, Paisley’s biggest concern about the data center was for serious potential negative ramifications on the zoo and Nashville as a whole.
“The zoo is one of the sources of joy in this city. It is one of the top zoos in the world. It’s family memories. It is expanding itself; it’s got all these plans to become even better as a resource for our city,” the singer continued.
“They don’t have to do this here. Build ’em somewhere else, but let’s keep Nashville as beautiful and great an attraction as it’s always been,” he added.
Is a New Data Center Being Built Next to the Nashville Zoo?
As of now, that’s the plan.
- DC Blox is the company behind a proposal for a nearly 70,000-square-foot data center.
- It would sit in the Grassmere Business Park, which is directly next to zoo property.
- Amid the AI boom, demand for data centers is soaring in 2026.
- Per IBM, a data center is a physical facility that houses IT infrastructure and stores and manages digital data.
Below, see a photo from April 2026 of a three-level data center in Vernon, Calif.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
But data center construction has encountered significant opposition in several local communities where the facilities are being built. Per The Harvard Gazette, locals and businesses who oppose data centers frequently cite the large water and electricity strain the facilities can place on the community, driving up utility costs for those who live nearby.
What Did the Nashville Zoo Say About Plans to Construct An AI Data Center Next to Their Property?
The Nashville Zoo has already voiced its opposition to the building of the data center.
The zoo launched the petition shared by Paisley, writing, “AI data centers are being built at an alarming pace, posing possible risks to diverse and vulnerable communities.”
“The next one could be located just feet away from one of the most fragile and rare collections of animals in the country unless Nashville Zoo supporters and city leaders intervene,” the statement continues.
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Zoo CEO Rick Schwartz further emphasized the potential threat to the zoo’s 3,000 animals in an interview with News Channel 5, pointing to the proposed facility’s potential for light and noise and pollution.
“We want the community to…stand with us to help fight against this data center,” Schwartz said. “There’s got to be a better place that it can go instead of around the number one attraction that’s focused on animals and children.”
What Did DC Blox Say In Response to the Nashville’s Concerns About the New Data Center?
Per WSMV, DC Blox responded to the zoo’s concerns by pledging to use “closed-loop or waterless cooling designs” to minimize water usage, “test and manage noise” and “shield light fixtures.”
In their statement, they also said will continue to discuss concerns about the project with local leaders.
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