The Impact

Fisk University’s “Quantum Leap” master plan includes a $400 million “Innovation Center” at 1000 17th Ave N, on the back of its historic campus near Jefferson Street.

About 70,000 square feet of that center is a technology center built around a 30-megawatt commercial data center, with the remaining 30,000 square feet described as academic and workforce development space.

Fisk has said it has not yet identified the commercial partner who would operate the data center, meaning the public doesn’t know who would actually run it or profit from it.

The Proposal

The site sits in the 37208 ZIP code, a historically Black neighborhood along the Jefferson Street corridor that has already dealt with decades of underinvestment, including some of the most frequent water main breaks in the city.

Adding a resource-heavy industrial utility here means more noise and local air pollution layered onto a community that’s already been asked to absorb more than its share.

Fisk is one of the nation’s oldest HBCUs, founded in 1866 and home to the Fisk Jubilee Singers and alumni including W.E.B. Du Bois. Students, faculty, alumni, and neighbors say they learned about the data center plans the same way the rest of the city did, after they were already announced.

The Impact of a 30 Mega-watt Data Center in 37208

Click on each colored overlay for a description, distance from proposed Fisk data center, and the impact of a 30 mega-watt data center shell on the population. Links to the sources of information in each overlay are available. (Courtesy of Winston W. Wright, MPH, June 28, 2026)

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Download a flyer in English or Spanish, talk to your neighbors, students, and alumni, and bring them with you to the next public comment session.

Now get involved

Show up to the July 7th meeting

The next public comment session is July 7. Show up, or write your council member and urge them to pass BL2026-1391 quickly.

Sign the petition

This fight is as important as the zoo, every signature adds to the visible numbers that get noticed at City Hall.