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North Carolina Biotech Research Campus

orulz

By orulz
in Charlotte

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ChiefJoJo Town

ChiefJoJo

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Yeah, all of a sudden the porjections of 25-35k workers by buildout are looking very suspect to say the least, and the public debt is headed through the roof. It would seem to me the public should have a say in the new $160M dollar figure if it's to be a TIF, since that is actual debt against the city/county.

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uptownliving Town

uptownliving

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Yeah, all of a sudden the porjections of 25-35k workers by buildout are looking very suspect to say the least, and the public debt is headed through the roof. It would seem to me the public should have a say in the new $160M dollar figure if it's to be a TIF, since that is actual debt against the city/county.

Just to be clear...the job estimate is about 5,000 for the actual campus at full buildout. The 25-35k job figure includes all potential spinoff jobs in the area (such as service jobs to support the increased population) ...most of those according to the study would be in Mecklenburg County.

You can read it all here.

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orulz City

orulz

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Thanks for the pictures Neo!

I haven't been to Kannapolis in upwards of 2 years (the mills were still standing then, empty and depressing.) That shot with the sky above and the one building under construction in the background really is quite a moonscape.

What's your impression of how well the new campus will integrate with the rest of town? Is it too early to tell?

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Neo City

Neo

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Thanks for the pictures Neo!

I haven't been to Kannapolis in upwards of 2 years (the mills were still standing then, empty and depressing.) That shot with the sky above and the one building under construction in the background really is quite a moonscape.

What's your impression of how well the new campus will integrate with the rest of town? Is it too early to tell?

Quite welcome! Several months ago there were dozens of sewer pipes sticking up out of the ground from all of the textile mills that I hate I didn't get pictures of, not a scene you see everyday. It has changed so much in the last couple of years though, definately unrecognizable. It is a huge piece of land that currently is completely barren except for the occasional steel structure going up.

I think it is probably too early to tell how well it will integrate with the existing downtown area. I just seems like everything is so spread out at the moment. I did notice a few things being upfitted though. I noticed a fancy restaurant being upfitted on a corner for example. There were a couple of buildings where you could peek in and see master plans for the campus for example, so it really seems like this is expected to be the heartbeat of Kannapolis once complete, almost feels like they're placing all of their bets on this new campus.

I'm sure when it is fully built out it will be something to marvel at, but right now it just doesn't strike me as very inviting since it feels like the campus is very remote from everything else.

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schmopperX Whistle-Stop

schmopperX

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I did notice a few things being upfitted though. I noticed a fancy restaurant being upfitted on a corner for example.

I did the electrical engineering on the restaurant, it should be open in the next 3 weeks, I do my final punch on the 12th. Also I've done the offices for N.C. State & UNC just a couple of doors down from the restaurant. These are temporary offices for these Universities while their buildings are being built.

I've seen quite a few of the renderings, (in fact all of the renderings) I think the new campus will flow into the existing downtown quite flawlessly. Should be fantastic.

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ChiefJoJo Town

ChiefJoJo

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Here's an article from the N&O today about the new biotech campus. As completion dates for research buildings are looming, UNCC, NC State, UNC, and Duke are recruiting faculty to join the new campus in Kannapolis. The article mentions rumors of another private university partnership too.

Also, the issue was raised whether these jobs will be available to local citizens. I don't know a lot of the history of this project... has this ever been touted as a being a replacement for the old Pillotex factory in terms of jobs for "average" citizens or workers who were laid off in 2003? If so, it seems like a real stretch when so many top researchers are going to be plucked from elsewhere and placed in Kannapolis. Obviously, local citizens will reap some economic benefits indirectly from the new campus, but I wonder if they don't feel part of a bait and switch by Murdock, and Dole. $160M in TIF is a lot of burden for the city to bare.

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atlrvr Metropolitan Area

atlrvr

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It was announced today that Red Hat (the software company) will be opening a satellite office on the Biotech research campus. They haven't committed to a specific sq. ft. yet (2k-20k sq. ft.), but having a large industry player in the tech industry open an office, certainly helps legitimize it. The office will focus on bioinformatics to assist in health care technology needs.

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ChiefJoJo Town

ChiefJoJo

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The News & Observer has a story on the Biotech campus.

What was originally seen as an anecdote to the collapse of the Pillowtex mill, is now being looked at with some doubt. At the time I went on a tour of the site last year, the local officials were really excited about the future of this campus, but perhaps they were just drinking the proverbial koolaid when they spoke of the potential for 35k workers at buildout. Obviusly its still in the early phases of development, but the citizenry haven't warmed up to the idea. I think this quote sums up the tone of the article well:

"It's like if you travel a block away from the research campus, it doesn't exist in the hearts and minds of the people," Moore said.

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schmopperX Whistle-Stop

schmopperX

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The News & Observer has a story on the Biotech campus.

What was originally seen as an anecdote to the collapse of the Pillowtex mill, is now being looked at with some doubt. At the time I went on a tour of the site last year, the local officials were really excited about the future of this campus, but perhaps they were just drinking the proverbial koolaid when they spoke of the potential for 35k workers at buildout. Obviusly its still in the early phases of development, but the citizenry haven't warmed up to the idea. I think this quote sums up the tone of the article well:

"It's like if you travel a block away from the research campus, it doesn't exist in the hearts and minds of the people," Moore said.

I think you'll find that to be the case for most of the citizens of Kannapolis. If you've ever spent any time there you'd quickly realize that anything involving Murdock will be looked upon with skepticism.

The more educated people in the area, of which most definitely make up the minority, are excited to see the area change. The old Mill crew are hanging on to the past, & realize that for most of them, this Biotech Research Center will not mean anything other than the possibility of being taxed off of their property.

The area will change as soon as higher level jobs are brought in.

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ChesterCopperPot Unincorporated Area

ChesterCopperPot

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I think you had to be skeptical about the time stated to hit the employment targets since the announcement of the campus. Kannapolis' population (65K maybe?) and low high school graduation rate (I believe it hovers around 60%) hinted that most of the targeted workforce would need to be imported. Kannapolis has serious infrastructure deficiencies to deal with that kind of influx. Where is the appeal for a high skilled worker to take a job and live in Kannapolis, possibly bringing a family. Schools need to improve over time, transportation infrastructure needs upgrades, etc. Once these items are in place, it will become appealing for large businesses piggybacking off the campus can come to town. If people commute from outside the city/county to work at the campus, there is less funding available, and it will take longer for the growth to occur. The campus can still be successful at creating that much growth for Kannapolis, but it will take many years and a lot of patience from the citizens and local government.

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drumsy Unincorporated Area

drumsy

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Are there any UPers who live up this way that could take some pics? I'd love to see how this is looking now... The site plan is so massive!

I could possibly have images as soon as this evening. I live just down the road. Expect something by no later than 7:00 PM.

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drumsy Unincorporated Area

drumsy

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Bunch of posts deleted about posting requirements. Please don't ask questions about the forum in a topic. There is a help forum so please go there if you have question.

I apologize. I could not find my answer via your Help link across the top and never venture beyond the Charlotte forum.

Nevertheless, let's see if this will work:

North Carolina Research Campus

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Neo City

Neo

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I apologize. I could not find my answer via your Help link across the top and never venture beyond the Charlotte forum.

Nevertheless, let's see if this will work:

North Carolina Research Campus

Just so you're aware (and others with questions about things on this site), we have a dedicated sub-forum setup for this type of thing. The help link at the top currently only assists with how to use the forum software (i.e. make posts). You can find answers to most of your questions here: http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/UrbanPla...rmation-f2.html

If you have a question that isn't answered you can start a topic in that sub-forum about it and a staff member will get back to you.

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