CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- A proposal is now under consideration to turn the old Hamilton County Jail into a television and film studio as the Commission is considering approving a lease.
The former Hamilton County Jail across Walnut Street from the county courthouse has sat vacant for years.
A proposal by Urban Story Ventures and Dynamo Studios would make it a hub for our entertainment economy.
However, they are facing questions over its impact on the community.
Those concerns raised by residents center around a proposed data center inside the Jailhouse Studios.
This would be to allow the studio process data related to quantum computing on site.
Resident Noah Johnston said, “Hamilton County and the country at large don’t want rampant AI taking over our lives.”
Urban Story Ventures CEO Jimmy White, who is the lead developer on the Jailhouse Studios project, says they want to reassure those concerned about the data center.
White said, “That is the smallest portion of what we’re doing in that building, but it is necessary.
He says that the data centers many think of, criticized for draining local resources, do not reflect what this will look like.
White said, “This is much smaller. We have more more tech and advanced computing systems. The systems we put in don’t use water. I can remember 10 years ago when we talked about Scottsboro getting a big million square foot data center. I mean those things you can do now in 100,000 square feet that you could do in a million square feet two years ago.”
Another concern raised was if the new jobs created at the site will be outsourced to workers not from the Chattanooga area.
Geoffrey Meldahl of the Chattanooga Area Labor Council said, “If we’re cutting these public private deals, you wanna make sure that Chattanooga and Hamilton County workers are getting first consideration when it comes to the construction jobs, modeling, and other jobs we believe will and should pay a living wage.”
White maintains the project will benefit local workers.
White, “We are not just filling music jobs. I mean you’re talking about plumbers, you’re talking about electricians, HVAC, tech… We believe the Future Ready Institutes will pay a key role in filling these jobs in the future as they develop local talent.”
The Hamilton County Commission will vote on whether or not to approve that lease next Wednesday.
White says portions of Jailhouse Studios could be opened by the end of the year.
