Metropolitan Council on 2026-06-09 6:00 PM · Tuesday, June 9, 2026 · 57m

The one where Nashville learned its zoning code has no word for 'data center', and voted 26-1 to freeze the permits befo

Name: The one where Nashville learned its zoning code has no word for 'data center', and voted 26-1 to freeze the permits befo
Start: 2026-06-09
Location: Nashville City Hall

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A special meeting called to finish the capital improvements budget turned into the night Nashville hit the brakes on data centers. Nashville Zoo board attorney Lauren Curry told council the Metro code does not even define a data center; the zoo's head veterinarian said the proposed center would press against the breeding and propagation area. Council suspended its rules to hear a late-filed Johnston/Bradford ordinance freezing data-center permits for ninety days, or until Rollin Horton's permanent zoning bill passes, whichever comes first. It passed first reading 26-1. The multi-billion-dollar

From the room

“Budget and finance voted to recommend approval as amended. Seven in favor, zero against zero not”
— Kyonzté Toombs

“Planning and zoning voted in favor of the amendment by council member Capp, seven in favor, zero”
— Horton

“prohibiting the large hyperscale ones imposing strict rules and environmental protections on others”
— Rollin Horton

“we have reports from across the country that data centers create measurable harm to property values”
— Mike Cortese

The decisions

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Also in the record

Records not linked to a specific agenda item

Opposition & support

Liet explicitly widens the objection: the anger 'isn't just about the fact that our zoo is obviously the wrong place for a data center. It's about a war being waged by the obscenely rich on all the rest of us.'

Conditions

The council should have the opportunity to fully consider the data-center land-use question BEFORE any project becomes vested.
moratorium duration capped at ninety (90) days or until the companion data-center bill (BL2026-1391) passes, whichever comes first

Questions & answers

Council Member Kyonzté Toombs: Where are we in the vesting-of-rights process for the parcel with the proposed data center next to the zoo?

Council Member Kyonzté Toombs: If the moratorium legislation goes on first reading tonight, we do not actually have a moratorium in place — correct?

Council Member Kyonzté Toombs: If the moratorium (or the other pending data-center legislation) passes, would there be any impact on data centers that already exist in Nashville?

Angie Henderson (Vice Mayor): Are all committee reports in for items on the consent agenda?

Council Member Toombs: Can you speak to the vesting of rights in the property — most public interest surrounds the proposed data center next to the zoo — and where we are in that process?

+1 more exchanges

Procedure

A late-filed ordinance — the temporary data center moratorium — placed on the agenda of a special called CAPITAL BUDGET meeting. — Angie Henderson
Vice Mayor Henderson closes the public comment period; council moves to agenda item F1 — Angie Henderson
Planning Commission expected to suspend its rules to convert the normal two-meeting deferral to a one-meeting deferral for the data center text amendment — compressing an already short timeline — Courtney Johnston
Chair invited members to join the queue to request removal of any consent-agenda item; none did ('Alright. I am seeing none.', seg 457). — Angie Henderson

+2 more procedural steps

The people

Practitioners & applicants

Heather Schwartz · Angie Henderson · Lauren Curry

The intelligence

Every parcel, owner, and applicant in this meeting, cross-referenced against Zonable’s NYC ownership, enforcement & legislative graph — the record behind the record.

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Owner portfolios, open OATH/ECB violations, 311 & DOB permits across every parcel discussed, developer track records, and an “ask this meeting” chat.

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