*** if you are a decision maker of an community organization, union, business, congregation or other group please consider signing onto this statement as a collective. Individual sign ons are welcome too.
We need long term, good paying jobs and developement partners who prioritize community safety, local job creation and return on investment for tax payers.
Sign the petition today, to join us in urging local decision makers to hold Urban Story Ventures accountable and to say NO to more Oracle AI Data Centers in Chattanooga.
After receiving multiple tax incentive packages from the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County, Urban Story Ventures has recruited a partnership with Oracle who are standing up 3 seperate AI Data Center projects in downtown Chattanooga.
These data centers are directly related to the $157 million dollar Tax Incremental Financing agreement Urban Story Ventures secured for "the Bend" project. This TIF was agreed on, with the understanding the Bend would generate enough jobs and revenue to help pay for things like the Gateway school and more affordable housing for working families in the area. But as of as of March 21st, 2026 “The Bend has yet to produce tax revenue for public housing or a county school planned for the former BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee building at West M.L. King Boulevard and Gateway Avenue. “
Urban Story Ventures CEO Jimmy White, claims these projects will create hundreds of jobs and grow our local economy.
But when pressed, White and partners have been unable to produce a workforce development plan or job creation plan for the Jail House studios project that would outline specifically how "hundreds of jobs" will be delivered for Chattanooga workers. It's worth noting that project leaders only requested 35 parking spots in the lease agreement with the County.
White and Urban Story Ventures are coming back to the industrial development board and Chattanooga City Council to request MORE tax incentives for a $300 million dollar amphitheater project. This ampitheater would compete with the local Mackenzie arena, the Caverns, venues in Nashville, Atlanta and Huntsville. According to White, this amphitheater would also contain an Oracle AI Data Center.
The Chattanooga Industrial Development Board expressed frustration after learning that White had obtained a $47.5 million dollar loan from Hilco Global, a real estate private equity “vulture capitalist” firm. Urban Story Ventures did not notify the industrial development board or City Council of this decision, despite the partnership with the city in the TIF agreement this project is reliant on.
Hilco Global and their subsideries have a track record local decision makers should be aware of. Recently, a subsidiery of Hilco had to pay out $12.5 million to a neighborhood in Chicago after a botched smokestack demolition that sent toxic particles into the surrounding neighborhoods resulting in significant health and safety issues for the surounding residents.
Jimmy White and Urban Story Ventures have also recruited the Chattanooga Mountain City Club, whose board members were alarmed to learn that $2 million of their funds had been wired to Urban Story Ventures in December in 2025 without the board's knowledge or apporval. There is currently impending litigation and a lawsuit surounding the $2 million dollar wire transfer.
Oracle, the data center partner White has recruited to join this project, are giving these data centers away across the country, free of charge and installing the hardware & maintaining the AI data centers with the goal of roling out as many as possible, as quickly as possible.
Oracle and STEM partnerships website boasts a modular AI data center can be delivered to your faclitiing in "just a matter of weeks". An Oracle spokesperson told the Times Free Press that they had started shipping in the hardware for the Jail House Studios just 2 days after the project was publicly announced, and months before the lease agreement was approved by our local government.
Chattanooga we have to ask, if these data centers are being installed at no cost to the developer.. WHY? Who stands to benefit the most from these AI Data centers?
In 2025, Oracle entered into a $500 billion dollar joint venture with Open AI and the Trump Administration. Oracle has received over $305 million in tax incentives from the state of Tennessee, promising to create 6,000 jobs but only delivering on 637 before mass layoffs earlier this year.
On April 1st, Oracle laid off 30,000 workers across the world, citing the need to pay for these modular data centers. Oracle workers who were not paid severance or given their pensions, despite working with Oracle for over 20 years were written about in TIME magazine, uplifting the egregious disregard for human jobs.
Oracle has received over $305 million in tax incentives from the state of Tennessee without delivering on jobs promised for Tennessseans. Can Hamilton County afford more tax incentives for this billion dollar company?
We call on decision makers in Chattanooga to ensure that any additional tax incentives going to this project, come with STRONG provisions for our local community and local workforce.
We need long term, good paying jobs and developers who choose partners that prioritize community safety. Sign the petition today, to join us in urging local decision makers to hold Urban Story Ventures accountable for good paying, long term jobs and to say NO to more Oracle Data Centers in Chattanooga.