PROTECT FRANKLIN, KY & PORTLAND, TN   

Say NO to a 600,000-Sq-Ft Industrial Data Center

(FULL SPANISH TRANSLATION BELOW - TRADUCCIÓN COMPLETA AL ESPAÑOL A CONTINUACIÓN)

A massive 600,000-square-foot industrial data center and power facility is being proposed on the KY–TN border near our homes, farms, and water resources.

Please sign and share this petition to stop it before it becomes permanent.

A massive industrial data center development is being proposed at 421 Steele Road in Franklin, Kentucky, directly along the Kentucky–Tennessee border near Portland, TN.

The project would include three 200,000-square-foot buildings (600,000 square feet total) across approximately 200 acres, along with an on-site power generation facility — an industrial-scale operation being placed next to two small communities: Franklin, KY (population ~11,000) and Portland, TN (population ~12,000).

Large data centers are not harmless “technology infrastructure.” Across the country, communities have raised documented concerns about:

   ~Extreme energy demand and grid strain
   ~Air pollution from generators and power systems
   ~Threats to local water resources
   ~Constant industrial noise from cooling equipment
   ~Visual blight, skyglow, and 24/7 lighting
   ~Few permanent jobs once construction ends
   ~Loss of rural character and declining property values

Steele Road currently has no street lights, and this permanently illuminated complex would dramatically alter the rural environment and quality of life.

Data centers also rarely stop at one facility. Nationwide, these developments often expand into multi-building clusters, creating long-term industrial corridors once approvals are granted.

While the land is zoned heavy industrial (I-2), that designation was not originally intended to automatically permit massive data storage centers, with or without integrated on-site power generation. Attempts to treat this project as a routine “permitted use” have raised serious concerns among residents and local officials.

We call on Franklin city leaders and all regulatory agencies to:

   ~Reject Ten Key LandCo LLC’s proposed AS CURRENTLY PRESENTED   

   ~Require full, independent environmental, geological, water, traffic, health, and energy impact studies before reconsideration

   ~Hold accessible public hearings when working residents can attend, ask questions, and will be heard

   ~Protect the residents, environment, and future of Franklin, Portland, and surrounding communities

Please sign and share this petition. Together, we can ensure our communities are shaped by the people who live here — not by unchecked industrial expansion.

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MORE Details if you care to read:

PROTECT Franklin, KY & Portland, TN

SAY NO to a 600,000-Sq-Ft Industrial Data Center

STOP Ten Key LandCo LLC’s Data Center Development at 421 Steele Road, Franklin, KY

We, the residents of Franklin, Kentucky; Portland, Tennessee; and surrounding communities, strongly oppose the proposed industrial development of a massive data center by Ten Key LandCo LLC at 421 Steele Road, Franklin, Kentucky, directly along the Kentucky–Tennessee border.

This proposal calls for the construction of three data storage and service facilities totaling approximately 600,000 square feet, spread across roughly 200 acres, along with an on-site power generation facility. This level of industrial development is being proposed next to Franklin, KY (population ~11,000) and Portland, TN (population ~12,000) — two small communities with a combined population of roughly 23,000 people.

For context, the proposed complex approaches the scale of some of the largest data centers in the world. The Portugal Telecom data center, often cited as among the largest globally, measures approximately 800,000 square feet. Projects of this size are not neighborhood infrastructure — they are heavy industrial operations.

Despite being described as “technology infrastructure,” large data centers are not harmless. Communities across the country have raised documented concerns regarding air quality, water resources, noise, visual impacts, grid strain, fire risk, and minimal long-term economic benefit.

Franklin and Portland are NOT industrial sacrifice zones.

We deserve clean air, protected water resources, dark night skies, and a future shaped by the people who live here — not decisions made behind closed doors without meaningful public input.

 

PROXIMITY TO COMMUNITY LIFE  

The proposed site at 421 Steele Road is not remote. Straight-line distances show how closely this industrial project would sit to everyday community life:

Less than ½ mile from restaurants and businesses with outdoor dining
   ~2.2 miles from the Kentucky–Tennessee state line (Kenny Perry's Country Creek Golf Course & The Arling pristine event venue)
   ~2.5 miles from the Medical Center at Franklin
   ~3.6–3.9 miles from local schools
   ~4 miles from the Historic Franklin Square
   ~1–2 miles from farms, restaurants, event venues, and gathering spaces

This is not an isolated industrial corridor — it is deeply connected to homes, commerce, healthcare, education, agriculture, and two states.

 

DATA CENTERS RARELY STOP AT ONE 

Across the United States, data centers are frequently developed in clusters or multi-building campuses, not as single isolated projects. Once massive power infrastructure and zoning approvals are established, developers often expand with additional facilities or nearby land purchases — creating long-term industrial corridors sometimes referred to as “Data Center Alleys.”

This is not speculation. It is a documented development pattern in major metropolitan markets, including:

   ~Northern Virginia (“Data Center Alley”)
   ~Dallas–Fort Worth
   ~Phoenix
   ~Columbus, Ohio
   ~Suburban Atlanta

What makes this proposal especially concerning is that these examples involve large metropolitan areas with extensive infrastructure. The same development model is now being proposed in small rural communities with limited infrastructure and sensitive environmental conditions.

Approving this project is not just approving one facility — it risks setting a precedent for continued expansion and permanent industrialization along the Kentucky–Tennessee border.

 

ZONING and PERMITTED USE CONCERNS  

While the site is zoned for heavy industrial (I-2) use, Data Centers DO NOT fall into this category.  The industrial designation was not originally intended to automatically permit massive data storage centers, with or without integrated on-site power generation. Attempts to treat this project as a routine “permitted use” have raised serious concerns among local officials and residents in both states.

A project of this magnitude should not move forward without clear authorization, enforceable conditions, independent review, and full public transparency.   It should not move forward with the j=majority of citizens's support.

 

WHY WE OPPOSE THIS FACILITY   

Large-scale data centers bring documented risks, including:

   -Air pollution from backup generators and on-site power systems
   -Extreme energy demand, grid strain, and fire risk
   -Threats to water resources, especially in karst and flood-prone areas                                                                                                                                  -Constant industrial noise from cooling and mechanical equipment
   -Visual blight and light pollution, including skyglow
   -Minimal permanent employment once construction ends
   -Loss of rural character and declining property values
   -Lack of transparency and unanswered questions

SKYGLOW AND LIGHT POLLUTION — Even in an Industrial Zone Residents understand that some development may introduce additional lighting over time. However, not all industrial uses are equal.

Most commercial or industrial facilities operate primarily during business hours, with lighting reduced overnight. Data centers are fundamentally different. They operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and typically require extensive perimeter security and safety lighting that remains on throughout the night.

Steele Road currently has NO street lights.  Introducing a permanently illuminated industrial complex would create persistent skyglow — the brightening of the night sky caused by artificial light scattering — visible well beyond the site in an otherwise dark rural area. This would represent a dramatic and lasting change to the environment, nearby homes, farms, wildlife, and quality of life residents value.

 

ENERGY DEMAND, TRANSPARENCY and RATEPAYER RISK 

At the Jan. 20 public meeting, Ten Key’s representatives compared the project’s expected power demand to that of a Walmart. However, industry estimates indicate that large data centers can consume 10 to 40 times more electricity than a Walmart Supercenter, raising serious concerns about grid strain, ratepayer impacts, and transparency.

To put this comparison into perspective:

   ~A Walmart Supercenter typically draws approximately 2–3 megawatts (MW)
   ~A single large data center building (around 200,000 sq ft) often draws 20–100 MW
   ~Even at the low end, a data center can use 10× or more the electricity of a Walmart.                             

This proposal includes THREE such facilities (600,000 Total sq. ft) plus on-site power generation.

Developers may argue that generating power on-site reduces grid strain. However, on-site generation does not eliminate community impact — it introduces additional industrial infrastructure, emissions, noise, and safety risks. If this project truly had energy needs comparable to a Walmart, it would not require its own dedicated power production facility.

Large industrial energy demands often require significant infrastructure planning and upgrades, and associated costs and risks can be distributed across local and regional ratepayers, even beyond the immediate community.

 

MYTH vs REALITY: DATA CENTER PROMISES

MYTH: Data centers bring hundreds of long-term local jobs.
REALITY: Most jobs are temporary construction positions. Once operational, facilities of this size typically employ 20–50 permanent workers, often with specialized skills that relocate from outside the community.

MYTH: Data centers deliver major tax revenue and community investment.
REALITY: Promised benefits are often reduced through incentives, while infrastructure, utility, and environmental costs are borne by the public.

MYTH: These facilities are low-impact neighbors.
REALITY: Data centers are energy-intensive industrial sites with permanent environmental, visual, and infrastructure impacts.

 

OUR DEMAND and EXPECTATION  

We call on Franklin city leaders, Simpson County Planning & Zoning, and all regulatory agencies to:

   ~Reject Ten Key LandCo LLC’s proposed as currently presented

   ~Require full, independent environmental, geological, water, traffic, health, and energy impact studies before reconsideration

   ~Hold accessible public hearings when and where working residents can attend, ask questions, and be heard

   ~Protect the residents, environment, and future of Franklin, Portland, and surrounding communities

 

This project is too large, too risky, and too poorly defined to be forced onto a small rural region without full transparency and community consent.

CALL TO ACTION  

Please sign and share this petition with friends, neighbors, and anyone who cares about protecting small-town communities from massive industrial development. Together, we can ensure Franklin and Portland’s future is shaped by the people who live here — not by unchecked corporate expansion.

 

SPANISH TRANSLATION

DEMANDA ENERGÉTICA, TRANSPARENCIA Y RIESGO PARA LOS CONSUMIDORES
En la reunión pública del 20 de enero, los representantes de Ten Key compararon la demanda de energía prevista del proyecto con la de un Walmart. Sin embargo, las estimaciones de la industria indican que los grandes centros de datos pueden consumir entre 10 y 40 veces más electricidad que un Walmart Supercenter, lo que genera serias preocupaciones sobre la sobrecarga de la red eléctrica, el impacto en los consumidores y la transparencia.

Para poner esta comparación en perspectiva:

~Un Walmart Supercenter suele consumir aproximadamente 2-3 megavatios (MW).
~Un solo edificio de un gran centro de datos (alrededor de 200.000 pies cuadrados) suele consumir entre 20 y 100 MW.
~Incluso en el caso más bajo, un centro de datos puede consumir 10 veces o más la electricidad de un Walmart.

Esta propuesta incluye TRES instalaciones de este tipo (600.000 pies cuadrados en total) más generación de energía in situ.

Los promotores pueden argumentar que la generación de energía in situ reduce la sobrecarga de la red eléctrica. Sin embargo, la generación in situ no elimina el impacto en la comunidad: introduce infraestructura industrial adicional, emisiones, ruido y riesgos para la seguridad. Si este proyecto realmente tuviera necesidades energéticas comparables a las de un Walmart, no requeriría su propia central eléctrica.

Las grandes demandas de energía industrial a menudo requieren una importante planificación y mejoras de la infraestructura, y los costos y riesgos asociados pueden distribuirse entre los consumidores locales y regionales, incluso más allá de la comunidad inmediata.

MITO vs. REALIDAD: PROMESAS DE LOS CENTROS DE DATOS

MITO: Los centros de datos generan cientos de empleos locales a largo plazo.
REALIDAD: La mayoría de los empleos son puestos de construcción temporales. Una vez en funcionamiento, las instalaciones de este tamaño suelen emplear entre 20 y 50 trabajadores permanentes, a menudo con habilidades especializadas que se trasladan desde fuera de la comunidad.

MITO: Los centros de datos generan importantes ingresos fiscales e inversión en la comunidad.
REALIDAD: Los beneficios prometidos a menudo se reducen mediante incentivos, mientras que los costos de infraestructura, servicios públicos y ambientales son asumidos por el público.

MITO: Estas instalaciones son vecinos de bajo impacto. REALIDAD: Los centros de datos son instalaciones industriales que consumen mucha energía y tienen impactos ambientales, visuales y de infraestructura permanentes.

NUESTRA EXIGENCIA Y EXPECTATIVA

Instamos a los líderes de la ciudad de Franklin, al Departamento de Planificación y Zonificación del Condado de Simpson y a todas las agencias reguladoras a:

~Rechazar la propuesta de Ten Key LandCo LLC tal como se presenta actualmente.
~Exigir estudios completos e independientes de impacto ambiental, geológico, hídrico, de tráfico, de salud y energético antes de su reconsideración.
~Celebrar audiencias públicas accesibles en lugares y horarios que permitan la asistencia de los residentes trabajadores, para que puedan hacer preguntas y ser escuchados.
~Proteger a los residentes, el medio ambiente y el futuro de Franklin, Portland y las comunidades circundantes.

Este proyecto es demasiado grande, demasiado arriesgado y está demasiado mal definido como para imponerlo a una pequeña región rural sin total transparencia y el consentimiento de la comunidad.

LLAMADA A LA ACCIÓN

Por favor, firme y comparta esta petición con amigos, vecinos y cualquier persona que se preocupe por proteger a las pequeñas comunidades de un desarrollo industrial masivo. Juntos, podemos asegurar que el futuro de Franklin y Portland sea moldeado por las personas que viven aquí, y no por una expansión corporativa descontrolada.

COBERTURA MEDIÁTICA HASTA LA FECHA:
https://www.wsmv.com/2026/01/20/massive-data-center-is-being-pushed-blink-you-miss-us-kentucky-town-locals-are-pushing-back/

 

MEDIA COVERAGE TO DATE: 

https://www.wsmv.com/2026/01/20/massive-data-center-is-being-pushed-blink-you-miss-us-kentucky-town-locals-are-pushing-back/