Rossville Mayor Jonathan Lassetter says the city was not informed that Walker County’s sale of four acres at 2 Bulldog Drive to Chattanooga-based technology company BridgTRK had been finalized until after the transaction closed Monday.
The sale has drawn questions from residents about the company’s proposed project and renewed debate over transparency surrounding the property transfer.
BridgTRK plans to construct an approximately 1,120-square-foot facility consisting of two standard 40-foot shipping containers connected by a canopy. While an early proposal circulating online described the project as a “Level-3 Data Center Proposal,” company officials have said the facility is not a traditional data center.
In interviews earlier this week, BridgTRK co-founders said the Rossville site will process data but is primarily intended to support the company’s operations. They said the facility will relocate an existing operation from Madison, Wisconsin, while another site in Portland, Oregon, will eventually move to Las Vegas. The company also said the project is not expected to require significant water usage.
Lassetter, however, said the city believes the project would likely require rezoning before it could move forward.
In a statement released Thursday, the mayor said Rossville officials learned the property sale had been completed only after BridgTRK representatives addressed the Rossville City Council during its July 13 meeting.
“The City further states that it was not informed that the property sale had been finalized until after the transaction had closed,” Lassetter said. He added that city officials are now reviewing the matter and evaluating what actions, if any, may be in the best interest of the city and its residents.
Lassetter also questioned Walker County’s handling of the property. He said Rossville had previously sought to acquire the site for use as a fire department training facility after losing access to another location. According to the mayor, the request was denied after Walker County Chairwoman Angie Teems expressed concerns about potential health impacts on nearby residents.
The mayor contrasted that decision with the county’s subsequent sale of the property for BridgTRK’s proposed development, saying no similar outreach to neighboring residents occurred before the sale was approved.
Despite those concerns, Lassetter said Rossville officials remain neutral on the proposed project.
Walker County spokesperson Joe Legge declined additional comment to WRCB-TV on the mayor’s statement.
The discussion comes just days after the Walker County Board of Commissioners approved a 30-day moratorium on new data center construction. Chairwoman Teems later clarified that the temporary moratorium applies only to unincorporated areas of Walker County and does not affect municipalities such as Rossville.
Legge said any city wishing to restrict similar developments would need to adopt its own moratorium or zoning regulations.
Before the current moratorium expires, county commissioners are expected to consider extending it for 180 days during their Aug. 6 meeting. County officials say the additional time would allow them to study potential zoning regulations for future data center proposals.
According to Legge, Walker County officials first began discussing a potential project with BridgTRK in September 2025.
He said the Rossville location offers advantages because it is served by EPB’s electric and fiber-optic network, including access to its quantum communications network.
County officials maintain the project is a small-scale communications facility rather than a large commercial data center. Legge said the facility could eventually provide communications capacity for other technology companies, potentially creating additional economic development opportunities in Rossville.
Legge also noted that the property was one of 25 county-owned parcels Chairwoman Teems identified for possible sale after taking office in late 2024. He said returning the previously tax-exempt property to private ownership will generate property tax revenue that will benefit local governments and taxpayers.