Wake Forest Innovation Quarter

[Hotlanta]

cantnot, you drive on those roads don't you? What was it like the first time you saw those signs?

[DigitalSky]

cantnot, you drive on those roads don't you? What was it like the first time you saw those signs?

I tell ya, when they first opened the southern I-85 bypass, I totally missed the exit for Greensboro and went towards Raleigh... then got lost (which rarely happens to me), had to take the exit for S Elm/Eugene, turn around, and get back to the new Business 85 (old I-85) to get back to UNCG. Confused me so much. I did it one other time subconsciously..

[twincity]

One question that i've always wondered about and waited for to happen is when will Targacept go big and become a company like Merck, AstraZeneca, or Wyeth? There have been several attempts in the past few years and they recently struck a deal with AstraZeneca to market their alzhimers medications to people. You know if they ever went public then that could be our next Fortune 500 or even a new tower?

U spoke it to be Hotlanta.

Targacept Makes Plans to go Public

[intcvlcphlga]

the competition just got even more heavy with that Kannapolis plant being built. that could slow down the 20 year projections of PTRP. i think it should be pretty successful though. the success of the park will be determined not just by the job growth but by the residential and retail growth. obviously, the vision of the park has changed considerably from 3 years ago.

i also heard about that building bordering bus. 40. ptrp.org does show it with the "current development" graphic.

thats the rumored building to the south.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Kannapolis research park is going to focus on nutrition research since the benefactor is the head of Dole Foods. Hopefully, this will insulate PTRP from too much competition from that park. It would be nice if PTRP could find a similar benefactor...

Hopefully, Targacept's partnership with Astra Zeneca and their IPO will be a success and put the park on the map. I agree with you that the success of the park will hinge on other factors like residential and retail growth. That is an issue that cannot be stressed enough in that the park is being pitched as an "urban research park" as opposed to the more traditional suburban ones. So, in order to ensure PTRP's veracity, they need to make sure that residential, education, commercial, retail, entertainment and recreational programs are interspersed throughout the park. They have a good start with Prince Albert Hall, Twin City Chop House, etc. As it expands, it would be great if the boundaries between the Goler developments and the Park become blurred.

[yadkinv]

If you've ever noted the Green Interstates west of the Mississippi River, you'll note they are diversions into business districts when the actual Interstates bypassed downtowns of small towns. They have stoplights even!!! The use of the Green Interstate in NC is different, but not helpful. In each of these cases, it should be a 3-digit Interstate. But, since all of the even 3-digit designations for I 40 are already used in the State, I propose that NC be the first to apply to AASHTO for a 4-digit Interstate designation as in I 1040!

A Green Interstate does not help PTRP or anything else in the Triad or NC.

[Hotlanta]

Well guys this is the news we have been waiting for! Targacept is going to go public!

Here's the story

Edited January 19, 2006 by Hotlanta

[twincity]

i forgot that i took some pix last summer around PTRP. i love these two

i posted this one before. are these the properties that were donated by ReynoldsAmerican?

[TowerRooster]

i forgot that i took some pix last summer around PTRP. i love these two

wow, that first one is gorgeous. They should use that for their promotional material.

[intcvlcphlga]

i forgot that i took some pix last summer around PTRP. i love these two

i posted this one before. are these the properties that were donated by ReynoldsAmerican?

I'm pretty sure it's those properties plus the Bailey Power Plant and possibly some surface parking lots - I posted the Journal article in another topic in this forum. I have to say I prefer the last pic. It's much more telling about the true nature and identity of Winston-Salem while the Targacept building (done by Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce) and City Hall South (by Calloway Johnson Moore) are much more generic pieces of architecture. I would love to see those RJR factories and all of their connective infrastructure preserved and re-used for the Center for Design Innovation, housing, biotech start-ups and labs, galleries, recreation space, etc.

[twincity]

PTRP/Goler article from today's journal. i guess we now know what Goler Manor will look like. Thats a pretty impressive height for a six story residential building. It looks like it will be just as tall as the Gallery.

@ 10,000 PTRP jobs in 5-10 years.

article

Edited February 2, 2006 by twincity

[sax184]

PTRP/Goler article from today's journal. i guess we now know what Goler Manor will look like. Thats a pretty impressive height for a six story residential building. It looks like it will be just as tall as the Gallery.

@ 10,000 PTRP jobs in 5-10 years.

article

That's an optimistic number for 10 years. That's like landing a dell every 2 years.

[SouthJersey7]

Am I understanding this correctly, to be 10,000 jobs promised just in that little area east of DT? That's nothing short of amazing... if they deliver.

[Hotlanta]

PTRP/Goler article from today's journal. i guess we now know what Goler Manor will look like. Thats a pretty impressive height for a six story residential building. It looks like it will be just as tall as the Gallery.

@ 10,000 PTRP jobs in 5-10 years.

article

That is totally awesome! 10,000 jobs! I might as well use all the emoticons for this one except the sad one. I was on my way to an event at another school today and I noticed how much construction has begun on some site near 52 that twincity mentioned and posted several pics of. The steel is up and everthing.

[DanRNC]

Those are very very optimistic numbers. I think every new science park throws out the same estimates-its the boosters trying to keep investors and potential clients happy. Over 10 years they have only amassed 660 something jobs. Question: where are the additional 9400 jobs going to come from? Targacept, the main anchor, has only one drug on the market and 3 more in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials. It will be at least 5-10 years before they ramp up significant production (if those even make it to market).

I'm not saying not to be optimistic but I wouldn't get that excited as of yet.

[twincity]

R&D just got a major boost in PTRP. Two medical breakthroughs worthy of international attention were announced in the last month.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center said yesterday that researchers have successfully rebuilt human bladders for seven young patients - a dramatic new phase in the field of tissue engineering.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center said yesterday that it has developed white blood cells from special mice that cured cancer in ordinary mice - a medical breakthrough that could lead to treatment for humans.

[twincity]

Biotechnology Research Facility One opens

the rendering in the article shows a new building fronting bus. 40. does anybody know any info on that proposal?

Edited May 17, 2006 by twincity

[twincity]

small PTRP update

new rat lab on 3rd and Linden

completed Research Facility One

still wondering about all the extensive demo occuring south of Bus. 40?

[DanRNC]

From some inside sources, it looks like PTRP's future is very shaky. The executive director just resigned after only 10 months. I think you will see some drastic changes to the plans for this facility.

Edited July 4, 2006 by DanRNC

[cityboi]

I think PTRP will see success. It will never be to the scale of RTP becasue when RTP was built, there were very few research parks in the country. Now every city is building them so its getting harder to compete when you have many across the country. some plans for PTRP could be scaled back or put on hold. But I do think Winston shoiuld continue on this path because it will bring many jobs downtown which will help spur more downtown residential. If enough jobs come, there will be alot of highrise residential plans in the works. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

Edited July 4, 2006 by cityboi

[DanRNC]

I think most likely it will become more Wake Forest-centric rather than trying to recruit outside businesses-ie an incubator for Wake Forest research ventures. If they keep it focused and don't try to aim too high this thing can work.

Edited July 4, 2006 by DanRNC

[cityboi]

I think most likely it will become more Wake Forest-centric rather than trying to recruit outside businesses-ie an incubator for Wake Forest research ventures. If they keep it focused and don't try to aim too high this thing can work.

I agree because universities in Greensboro or High Point will never get involved because they are building their own research centers. PTRP is doing pretty well becasue I know a few companies there like Targacept have come up with some groundbreaking discoveries.

Edited July 4, 2006 by cityboi

[DanRNC]

I think reality is starting to dawn on these research parks about how much competition there is.

[krazeeboi]

^And NC is a microcosm of such competition, with RTP, PTRP, Centennial Campus, NC Research Campus under construction in Kannapolis, and the proposed Carolina North research campus in Chapel Hill (I think I got 'em all).

In order for research campuses to be somewhat successful, I think duplication has to be avoided and new and emerging research areas must be capitalized upon.

[cityboi]

Don't forget, Charlotte has University Research Park

[RALBOI]

Don't forget, Charlotte has University Research Park

They should rename it, University office Park,because not trying to be funny, that's what it really is.