📲 Are data centers regulated in Nashville?

🏛️ Nashville’s First Data Center Zoning Bill

Tomorrow, Metro councilmembers will begin considering a new data center zoning bill. District 20 Councilmember Rollin Horton proposed the legislation after realizing Nashville had no existing regulations governing data center development. More than a dozen councilmembers have signed on as co-sponsors. [Legislative Text; NewsChannel 5]

• What’s in the bill? The zoning proposal would ban data centers larger than 500,000 square feet. Other data centers would be subject to approval by the board of zoning appeals, with a public hearing. The proposed bill would also restrict where data centers could be built, requiring them to be at least half a mile from neighborhoods, schools, parks, and zoos. [WKRN]
• Data center boom: Nashville is home to about a third of the state’s data centers, with more headed our way. Recently, Fisk University announced plans to build a data center on campus, and an Atlanta developer bought land by the zoo for a data center. [🎧 City Cast Nashville; WPLN; 🔐 Nashville Business Journal]
• Concerns: Memphis residents living near Elon Musk’s xAI data center, called Colossus, say it’s causing massive amounts of pollution. CM Horton’s bill requires data centers to use a “closed loop” water system, so the water used to cool them cannot be released back into the public water supply. [WBUR; WKRN]
• Context: Other cities, like Madison, have instituted a one-year moratorium on new data center construction amid concerns over pollution and lack of regulations. [🎧 Your City Could Be Better]

🏗️ East Bank Affordable Housing Units

The Fallon Company broke ground on the East Bank’s first residential development last week, in a parking lot across the street from the new Nissan Stadium. The Eastpoint Flats will have 323 affordable housing units at 30%, 60%, and 80% of Nashville’s area median income. [🔐 Nashville Business Journal]

• Here’s Nashville’s area median income for 2026. [Nashville.gov]
• Fallon’s plans for the Eastpoint development include more residential units, a daycare center, hotels, and green space. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🏀 Nashville’s New B-Ball Team

Nashville has a new minor league women’s basketball franchise, the fledgling UpShot League, which develops prospects for the Women’s National Basketball Association. Former Metro Councilmember Nancy VanReece is the president and CEO of the new league, and hopes it will “last as long as the Nashville Sounds.” She also knows that Nashville’s reaction to the league will determine if the city ever lands a professional women’s team. [Axios Nashville]

• Games start in 2027. You can buy a season membership now. [UpShot Nashville]
• Listen to our interview with Nancy about why Nashville could be such a great spot for women’s basketball. [🎧 City Cast Nashville]

🗳️ Confusion Over Congressional Maps

USA TODAY Network journalists drove 1,024 miles across Tennessee to visit folks living in the newly redrawn congressional Districts 5 and 9, which include Nashville suburbs. Most people were unaware that their representation had changed. Many expressed concerns about how effective representatives could be in districts spanning such large swaths of land, from rural counties to downtown Memphis. [🔐 The Tennessean]

• Several government websites have yet to update Tennessee’s new congressional maps. You can find your representative here. [Tennessee Comptroller]