DC Blox sues over Metro's data center moratorium
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DC Blox sued Metro in federal court on Tuesday seeking to strike down the city's moratorium on data centers.
Why it matters: DC Blox argues the city hastily imposed the moratorium after news of the firm's planned data center near the Nashville Zoo came to light.
- The moratorium violates the company's constitutional "equal-protection rights," according to the lawsuit.
Between the lines: The lawsuit points out that the city's zoning administrator ruled that a data center would be an acceptable use under the zoning that was in place when the firm applied for permits earlier this year.
Catch up quick: Ahead of the property's sale to DC Blox, the Nashville Zoo raised concerns about the data center's potential impact on its animals, inspiring over 500,000 people to sign a petition opposing the project.
- Following the uproar, council imposed a moratorium until Dec. 1 and created new regulations for data centers.
What they're saying: "The Data Center Moratorium, moreover, is a targeted attack against DC Blox, in violation of federal constitutional protections," the data center company claims in its lawsuit.
- DC Blox emphasized in its lawsuit that the property was previously used for a data center.
- Under state land-use law, the property is protected as "vested," since a data center was allowed there when DC Blox applied for its permits, the company argues in its lawsuit. Metro officials have signaled that they disagree the property is vested.
Zoom in: DC Blox says in its lawsuit that Metro continued the approval process for another data center that had a pending application at the time the moratorium was established while putting DC Blox's permits on hold.
- However, DC Blox's demolition, grading and building permits are not being processed.
Friction point: DC Blox offered to subdivide the $23 million property and so it could go forward with its data center plans and the zoo could acquire the remaining portion.
What's next: DC Blox asked a judge to nullify the moratorium and order Metro to resume processing its permits.