The effort to establish a major entertainment studio in Chula Vista has run into fundraising setbacks and a formal review by city consultants, leaving the project without a firm start date and with an uncertain path forward.
Two-phase plan paused amid investor and vetting issues
The proposal, driven by a private company led by CEO Aaron Roberts, envisioned converting the top two floors of the Millenia Library into space for coworking, podcast recording, photography and self-taping as an initial phase, followed by a larger second phase that would create roughly 130,000 square feet aimed at accommodating major film productions.
Roberts told Axios that his company and a previously committed investor have “mutually parted ways” on a $15 million equity commitment. The venture has also not yet closed an initial fundraising target of $5 million, and Roberts said he is seeking to raise about $150 million in total through a combination of debt and equity to proceed to the larger studio build-out.
City due diligence could determine next steps
The city of Chula Vista engaged consultants HR&A Advisors to perform a deeper review of Roberts’s company and the project plan. Findings from that vetting are expected to be presented to the City Council before the end of the year, according to reporting in the Union-Tribune.
Chula Vista’s Economic Development Director, David Graham, told the newspaper that no formal agreement is in place between the city and Roberts’s company. Graham used a lighthearted analogy to describe the city’s posture toward the proposal:
"You can say (we're) deciding whether we're going to date or not," he said.
The consultant review and the city staff analysis will inform whether the city moves forward with any partnership or lease of library space for the initial phase, and whether public involvement or approvals are needed for subsequent, larger-scale construction.
Timeline and risks
Roberts has said that if and when ground is broken, the built studio space could be operational in roughly 18 months. But with key fundraising targets unmet and the loss of a major investor, the start date remains “fluid,” he told Axios.
The company characterized the kinds of delays it is experiencing as typical for startups engaged in complex, capital-intensive projects. "If I could have raised $150 million within six to 12 months, that would have been awesome," Roberts said, adding that longer fundraising horizons are common.
What residents and local leaders will be watching
The proposed project carries potential local implications: adaptive reuse of library space, new coworking and production resources for regional creators, and a much larger construction and production campus that could affect traffic, zoning and economic activity. City Council members and city staff will weigh those considerations alongside the consultant findings.
- Immediate next step: HR&A Advisors to present findings to City Council by year-end.
- Funding status: Initial $5 million round not closed; $15 million investor is no longer involved; $150 million total target remains under pursuit.
- Agreement status: No formal city agreement has been signed.
| Phase | Scope |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Convert top two floors of Millenia Library for coworking, podcasting, photography and self-taping |
| Phase 2 | Develop ~130,000 sq ft of production space for larger film projects |
As the council review approaches, stakeholders — including library patrons, neighborhood groups, local production professionals and potential investors — will be watching how the city balances cultural and economic development goals with fiscal oversight and community impacts.
The coming months will determine whether the initiative moves from planning and fundraising into formal negotiations and permitting, or whether the proposal will need to be restructured in response to investor departures and the findings of the city’s review.
For now, the vision of adding large-scale studio capacity to Chula Vista remains a contingent prospect: proponents say it could diversify the local economy and serve regional media creators, while city officials emphasize the need for thorough vetting before committing public property or support.
