Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

Nashville's Metro Council voted 27-5 to authorize city attorneys to initiate eminent domain proceedings targeting the property adjacent to the Nashville Zoo, where developer DC Blox plans a data center. The legislation passed its third and final vote, allowing the city to begin negotiations and potentially seize the property.

Mayor Freddie O'Connell launched the process as the council was considering new data center zoning rules and a temporary construction moratorium, both passed last month. Lead sponsor Rollin Horton did not mention the zoo or data center, instead citing the city's "severe shortage of office space." An amendment by Councilmember Quin Evans Segall requires any property appraisal to be sent to the council and a three-week waiting period before filing a condemnation action, giving the council a chance to rescind the authorization.

Legal hurdles remain: pending zoning appeals tied to the property cannot be heard until the moratorium expires in December, and a successful appeal could derail the DC Blox plan. Even if eminent domain proceeds, a protracted legal fight with DC Blox could delay the purchase. The property sold last month to DC Blox for $23 million, but the county assessed it at $37 million last year, with fair market value likely to be contested.

Councilmember Courtney Johnston, who represents the zoo area and opposes the data center, called the move "dangerous" and worried about cost and legal fights. Councilmember Russ Bradford supported the purchase, citing spending on office rents, while officials say funding has already been allocated to departments in the capital spending plan. The city must prove to a court that the purchase is necessary, and would then pay fair market value.