Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo • Hacker News Board

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#471

Post by tptacek » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:09 PM UTC

Henchman21 wrote: post #445

tptacek wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The funny thing about data center concerns in Chicagoland, where I'm hearing it, is that data centers are better neighbors than almost any other commercial real estate. The data centers in Aurora are surrounded with prairie green space; everything else, including the nicest office buildings, are a sea of eyesore asphalt parking lots. I get there can be real concerns, locally-specific, about energy usage (again: they…

Where in Aurora? I’m at the CME DC daily, and I am not aware of any prairie green spaces that aren’t being actively developed. In fact the area between Bilter and Butterfield Rds are so active it’s changing my commute time to the DC — making my 10 minute ride often more than 30. So as someone who visits Aurora data centers daily I’m not seeing it. The point you’re making seems to be of “lesser of two evils” variety,…

At this point you're basically making an argument against all commercial real estate.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#472

Post by watwut » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:16 PM UTC

godwinson__4-8 wrote: post #422

watwut wrote: post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds like a pure trolling? Why do you do it on behalf of Zuckenberg? Yes, HE is complicit in those. Facebook knew what is going on.

Not joining your mob makes me a troll? I guess you did answer one question - you have no answers, only scapegoats. I don't do it for "Zuckenberg". I don't really care about him at all. I assume if he didn't exist, someone else would have invented the same thing. After all, he basically ripped off the idea to start with. I do it because imo worse than dealing with obvious capitalist self interest that one can at least…

No one asks you to join a mob. I am complaining because your comments are not nearly a good faith and attempt to twist the topic into unrecognizable.

At least make them coherent.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#473

Post by inahga » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:17 PM UTC

Henchman21 wrote: post #445

tptacek wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The funny thing about data center concerns in Chicagoland, where I'm hearing it, is that data centers are better neighbors than almost any other commercial real estate. The data centers in Aurora are surrounded with prairie green space; everything else, including the nicest office buildings, are a sea of eyesore asphalt parking lots. I get there can be real concerns, locally-specific, about energy usage (again: they…

Where in Aurora? I’m at the CME DC daily, and I am not aware of any prairie green spaces that aren’t being actively developed. In fact the area between Bilter and Butterfield Rds are so active it’s changing my commute time to the DC — making my 10 minute ride often more than 30. So as someone who visits Aurora data centers daily I’m not seeing it. The point you’re making seems to be of “lesser of two evils” variety,…

I don't understand his point either. I used to work off of Diehl Road not too far from the CyrusOne DC[1] and it is anything but a prairie. It has greenery, but it's just the usual fake landscaping that all the industrial parks in Aurora, Bolingbrook, Warrenville, etc. do.

And there's counterexamples to the desolate office space... the Ace Hardware corporate office[2] I think is remarkably pleasant.

[1]: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rFgzVfWNBaGxpBNg7

[2]: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5EiQy5YUPengwDE18

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#474

Post by pavel_lishin » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:20 PM UTC

ProllyInfamous wrote: post #298

welcome_dragon wrote: post #110

I live in Nashville. This story is all over the place in general. People assume all the things like it will make their rates go up, etc. I'm not opposed to data centers in general but the location is right next to our zoo which has grown tremendously along with the city over the past twenty years. Took my kids there when they were small and we still have a couples membership. It's very difficult even here to get fact…

Chattanooga (just hours away) has a DC Blox data center, approximately 50,000sqft (tiny!), located on the southwest corner of Main Street and Center Streets – yet if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't know it was there . It is entirely surrounded by apartment buildings and smaller retail. I spent most of my IBEW apprenticeship working in data centers of all sizes (5-300,000 sqft), and micro co-location facili…

> Chattanooga (just hours away) has a DC Blox data center, approximately 50,000sqft (tiny!), located on the southwest corner of Main Street and Center Streets – yet if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't know it was there. It is entirely surrounded by apartment buildings and smaller retail.

When a new DC is being proposed, how do you tell - for sure - whether it'll be quiet and discreet, vs. loud and noisy?

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#475

Post by Terr_ » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:21 PM UTC

mafuy wrote: post #460

tecleandor wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been checking stats and comparing it with here (Spain) and I never thought the difference of residential water usage was so different. Average use of water per capita in Spain is about 47m3 a year, so a third of the USA. And that number is quite consistent around the EU, except for Greece and Cyprus, where it's about double or even a bit more.

I dont get your math. 50m3/y is more than 30m3/y, which is what I calculated for the US?

I'm not sure which numbers everyone is using, but

    US usage stat [0]:            82    gal/ day  /person
    Days to years:          ~ 30,000    gal/ year /person
    To metric:              ~   ~113.4  m^3/ year /person

[0] https://www.epa.gov/watersense/statistics-and-facts

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#476

Post by sophacles » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:22 PM UTC

otterley wrote: post #467

sophacles wrote: post #457

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course you deem the costs acceptable because you don't have to pay them. The word deplorable means: deserving condemnation and contempt. And frankly, I can't think of anything more deserving of contempt than a person willing to accept the harm to others for a slight increase in convenience. > Yes, this sometimes puts a toll on the individual. We should support them when this happens via a social safety net. But we…

We agree that clean energy and social safety sets are worth demanding and preserving. Externalities are a real problem and yes, they need to be compensated for. > And frankly, I can't think of anything more deserving of contempt than a person willing to accept the harm to others for a slight increase in convenience. Before you claim moral high ground here, you should take a good hard look at yourself and all the conv…

What a weird statement. Just like you think if something isn't the worst it must be fine, and how if someone isn't destitute they couldn't have suffered financial harm, now you're trying to claim someone who isn't the perfect paragon of morality the must not be able to have a higher standard of virtue than someone actively advocating for the harm of others. It comes across as incredibly defensive.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#477

Post by arevno » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:25 PM UTC

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #120

tptacek wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The funny thing about data center concerns in Chicagoland, where I'm hearing it, is that data centers are better neighbors than almost any other commercial real estate. The data centers in Aurora are surrounded with prairie green space; everything else, including the nicest office buildings, are a sea of eyesore asphalt parking lots. I get there can be real concerns, locally-specific, about energy usage (again: they…

But data centers basically take land and resources and generate almost nothing for the local community. The jobs are minimal after the data center is built. It's a giant windowless box. I would much rather have a strip mall in my community. Strip malls often have local businesses as tenants (so money made by the business then gets spent in the community), and they provide services the local community can interact wit…

No, this is backwards.

"Local businesses" are net money extractors. Local residents spend their money, a portion of which goes up the supply chain and out of the community.

Datacenters are net money injectors. Even if they provide relatively few jobs, or get tax breaks, they're still largely injecting capital that originates from outside the community.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#478

Post by silisili » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:27 PM UTC

polski-g wrote: post #452

silisili wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Office buildings presumably are filled with bodies who get paid, who will spend some amount of money in the local economy. I'm not sure data centers could make the same argument.

I have lunch around the datacenters when I go to them.

The main point I think is density - for their size datacenters typically don't hire many people.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#479

Post by rangestransform » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:29 PM UTC

hinkley wrote: post #439

itsmek wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walmarts have more stormwater runoff than Costcos?

I think you can do better than a whataboutism. First, Costco has some of the best employee treatment in the industry. Second, we are talking about blocking unwanted neighbors based on anything that will stick. We shouldn't have regulatory capture of socializing the liabilities and privatizing the profits, but we do and we have. Any resistance at all is by definition going to be a matter of coming at the problem sidew…

Blocking unwanted neighbours with anything is exactly what NIMBYism is, and you could make similar arguments that housing developers are externalizing the burden of e.g. traffic or school capacity while privatizing the profits. Laws that enable arbitrary suppression of whatever the locals don’t like have caused generational damage via racism and now the housing crisis, and we should get rid of them.

Re: Nashville uses eminent domain to block data center near zoo

#480

Post by otterley » Thu, Aug 06, 2026, 7:33 PM UTC

sophacles wrote: post #476

otterley wrote: post #467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We agree that clean energy and social safety sets are worth demanding and preserving. Externalities are a real problem and yes, they need to be compensated for. > And frankly, I can't think of anything more deserving of contempt than a person willing to accept the harm to others for a slight increase in convenience. Before you claim moral high ground here, you should take a good hard look at yourself and all the conv…

What a weird statement. Just like you think if something isn't the worst it must be fine, and how if someone isn't destitute they couldn't have suffered financial harm, now you're trying to claim someone who isn't the perfect paragon of morality the must not be able to have a higher standard of virtue than someone actively advocating for the harm of others. It comes across as incredibly defensive.

There are stories you're telling yourself (especially the unfounded and frankly insulting belief that I'm "actively advocating for the harm of others"). Perhaps you should seek clarification instead of jumping to conclusions. And check the ground beneath you before criticizing others.

I told you multiple messages back that you're getting way too personal about this issue and need to back off. I'm done with this thread. Go attack someone else.