A day after small business owners raised concerns about the possible sale of their building, Hamilton County leaders are outlining where the incubator could go next.
County officials released new renderings for the Franklin-Roberts Future Ready Center, a planned downtown facility that will include space for a new small business incubator.
The county says the incubator would move to the third and fourth floors of the new center, which is also set to house a vocational program for high school students.
Leaders say the move is tied to plans to sell the current incubator building on Cherokee Boulevard.
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp says the existing space needs major repairs.
“It feels more like a prison than an incubator in a real thriving environment. It’s all cinder blocks and there’s no windows,” Wamp said.
Rendering provided by Hamilton Co. Government.
Wamp says the new space will be designed to better support entrepreneurs and connect them with students through a new entrepreneurship pathway.
“This is going to be an incubator for the future that I really think will give rise to a generation of entrepreneurs,” he said.
The new center is part of a broader effort to expand career and technical education, giving students hands-on experience and access to business development resources.
But for current tenants, the focus is on what happens in the meantime.
Read more: Small business owners sound alarm on Hamilton County INCubator building plans
Rendering provided by Hamilton Co. Government.
The Future Ready Center is supposed to be open in the Spring of 2028 but there is still no timeline for when business owners will have to move out of the current facility, raising concerns about a potential gap between buildings. They Mayor’s Office says the Incubator portion may be ready before the center as a whole. The Chamber of Commerce says they will help with the transition.
Some business owners say they have already invested thousands of dollars into their current spaces.
“This would really be devastating, even if we had a space to move to. Just having to replicate this cost again would be a devastating blow to us financially,” said Chad Stiles with Peptide Test LLC.
Others say the proposed space may not meet their needs.
“None of the manufacturing people are going to be able to fit in, because if the loading dock is downstairs, we’ve got thousands of pounds of equipment and a strong amount of power that we need,” said Elica Holman with Layer Work Solutions.
Business owners also say they feel left out of the process.
“With all of these rapid changes, why is this all happening so quickly, and how are we not involved in any of these changes?” said Nick Johnson.
County leaders say they plan to share more details as plans move forward.
Depend on us to keep you posted.