Who's Afraid of a Big Bad Data Center?
💻 Why the big rush · Tales from the Westside · Cheekwood fight gets ugly · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Today, Davis confesses to his confusion about the data center regulation process... The sixth installment in Tales from the Westside... The Cheekwood fight gets uglier... And much more!
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Opinion: Confession: I don't understand the rush around the data center bill.
From Davis Hunt
The data center bills continue on through the Metro legislative process with the velocity of a lead brick. I’m not claiming to be an expert on any of this stuff, but it’s easy to tell when others aren’t. The adjectives I’d attach to the discussion around CM Horton’s land use bill are not “thorough” or “intelligent,” but “desperate” and “sloppy.”
A moratorium makes sense to me. For comparison, in DeKalb County, Georgia, an ongoing, year-plus moratorium on data center development is in place as the county government haggles over the particulars of land use policy around them.
The conversation in DeKalb County started in July of last year. By comparison, Horton introduced his bill a month ago.
The only reason I can think of to rush this bill through the legislative process is to deliver a political win to its sponsor. For example, last night at the planning commission, Horton objected to planning’s substitute, which changed the language on how long the facilities could run backup generators during emergencies.
It seems like the place to have these discussions would be during a commission meeting with the planning department that made the substitute, and not during a live council meeting where certain words hypnotize half the body and others (Morgan Wallen, Elon Musk) have them seeing red.
Deferring the legislation to hammer out details would require its delay, and Horton seems more interested in the optics of a political victory than authoring good legislation, so with a dirty sock flopping in the wind to set his course, Horton moved for approval of the substitute himself, signalling he didn’t care as much about the issue he brought up as he first appeared.
And now, our illustrious council will take up the matter on second reading.
Procedurally, this is sloppy. Given the current trajectory of both CM Johnston’s moratorium and Horton’s land use bill, why not just take your time with it? DeKalb County has done this without issue.
For what it’s worth, the DC Blox zoo data center will not be affected by this bill or even the moratorium. Barring a permit denial, successful legal challenges, or Ted Kaczynski descending from on high with an improvised explosive, there will be a data center by the zoo. Doug Sloan, DC Blox’s representative, brought this up last night—though without the pyrotechnics.
Additionally, the progressives are flogging O’Connell for knowing about the data center back in February, well before permits were pulled, and refusing to engage in tactical warfare against it, setting back his attempts to win back the progressive flank of the party who can’t be bought off for $735,000.
Data centers are universally unpopular, and developing policy around where it is and isn’t appropriate to build them is sensible. Just like someone desperately begging you to buy whatever they’re selling is a huge red flag, it should raise your hackles that our council is being so flippant about regulating facilities that are as dangerous and harmful as they claim.
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
New Council Watch Features We've added additional features to Council Watch. In addition to who's funding your council member, you can now see how they vote and who they vote with most frequently. (Take a Look)
✹ ME, THE TV, AND QVC
The sixth installment in Tales from the Westside.
From Rachel Gladstone
I hate shopping. Nothing annoys me more. And this makes me feel like a freak of nature because most of the women I know love to shop. They love the browsing part, the trying the stuff on part and even the figuring out how they’re gonna juggle their credit cards to pay for it, part. They love to stalk an item for weeks, like a hungry lioness, until their prey gives out and surrenders for a fraction of the original price. But that’s not me.
Maybe I missed out on the shopping gene or maybe I inherited my hatred of shopping from my mom, who hated it as well. But honestly, I would rather be stranded on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, in fear of being eaten by a Dingo, than to hit the mall.
Last year, I bought a winter coat for the first time in 14 years. The old coat had holes at the edges of both sleeves which I patched with little bits of lining and super glue, and by the time I finally broke down and bought the new one, I’d had the zipper on the old coat replaced four times.
HEADLINES
- 🌿 The Cheekwood parking fight just got nastier. Neighbors for Safety BMH is demanding Cheekwood retract its "Save Cheekwood" press release, which the group's attorney calls "false and materially misleading" for characterizing the neighborhood's BZA appeal as a bid to permanently close the museum. NFS says it only wants the city-mandated parking pavilion to comply with Cheekwood's 1996 special exception zoning. (Post)
- 🏥 Veronica Elders is Nashville General Hospital's new permanent CEO. The Metro Hospital Authority board voted Thursday to elevate Elders after 15 months as interim, passing over Harvard-educated Yale New Haven Hospital president Dr. Keith Churchwell. Elders secured NGH's full $75M Metro budget request this year after predecessor Joseph Webb was trimmed to $60M amid controversy. (Tennessean)
- ⚖️ A Davidson County judge temporarily blocked Tennessee from reporting sick immigrant children to immigration authorities. The TRO, issued Wednesday, halts a Health Department directive warning ~400 families in the Children's Special Services program that continuing care after June 30 would trigger reporting to the state's ICE-linked immigration enforcement division. Three Nashville doctors sued through the Tennessee Justice Center, arguing the CSS program's federal funding exempts it from the state's new immigration verification law. (WPLN)
DEVELOPMENT
- Stanley Black & Decker closing Middle Tennessee facility, impacting 116 workers (NBJ)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Superdrag @ Eastside Bowl, 8p, $35+, Info
🎻 Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs in Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 11a & 6p, $49, Info
🪕 An Evening with Rodney Crowell @ 3rd and Lindsley, 8p, $51.11, Info
🪕 The Tennessee Bluegrass Band @ Station Inn, 9p, $25, Info
🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
TOMORROW
🎸Alan Jackson @ Nissan Stadium, 6p, Info
🎸 Young the Giant with Cold War Kids @ Ascend Amphitheater, 6p, $48+, Info
🎸 Gabe Dixon @ 3rd and Lindsley, 8p, $29.76, Info
🪕 Newfound Road @ Station Inn, 9p, $25, Info
🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
SUNDAY
🎸 Meldrop @ The End, 8p, $23.63, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Jam @ Station Inn, 7p, Free, Info
+ a night for musicians and singers from all over the world to gather and enjoy making music together
🪕 Sundays Between with Easy Green @ Tennessee Brew Works, 1p, Info
+ a bluegrass celebration of the music of the Grateful Dead
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.