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See Correction/Clarification at the end of this article.
Construction has begun on the second phase of Winston-Salem’s Innovation Quarter a year later than initially planned.
When it was announced in 2021, Phase II called for ten buildings, 450 residential units, and 2.7 million gross square feet of space including 1 million square feet of clinical, lab and office space.
"Horizontal infrastructure work" – including the laying of fiber and electrical conduit, site grading, installation of lighting and trees, streetscaping – began this month on the 28-acres on either side of Research Parkway, according to a release from IQ. The work, which will take about 14 months, also includes a nearly half-mile extension of the Long Branch Trail.
Originally scheduled to begin in 2022, construction for Phase II of Innovation Quarter was delayed due to Covid-19, labor and inflation.
Unlike Phase I, which repurposed former R.J. Reynolds tobacco buildings, Phase II will be all new construction. Reynolds donated 45 acres of land and 1.2 million square feet of tobacco manufacturing buildings in 2001 to Wake Forest University, which then developed Innovation Quarter.
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist's new Eye Institute was previously slated as the anchor for Phase II, but AHWFB announced earlier this month that it would use the vacated building at 635 Vine St. in Innovation Quarter as the site for its new eye institute. James Patterson, spokesperson for IQ, said that the eye institute moving to 635 Vine St. is the only significant change to the original master plan for Phase II.
The eye institute had also been held up by the same factors that delayed construction and AHWFB ultimately decided that using an existing building would allow for a shorter project timeline.
Innovation Quarter is using $8.9 million it received from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, executed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, for the infrastructure work. Patterson said IQ was currently unable to provide an estimate of how much Phase II will cost or an estimate of when vertical construction will begin.
“This first and vital step in the development of the next phase of Innovation Quarter is another signal of the growth and vibrancy happening here,” said Jason Kaplan, IQ’s leader of planning, design and operations. “The improvements we are beginning today will lay the foundation for a whole new era of excitement for downtown Winston-Salem.”
Specific infrastructure improvements include:
- 2,270 feet of Long Branch Trail greenway expansion
- 140 new trees
- 131 new street lights
- 46,830 feet of new electrical and fiber conduit
- 10,000 dump truck loads of dirt relocated for site grading
Innovation Quarter has been working with the ACCESS Center for Equity + Success to bring in minority- and women-owned businesses, with infrastructure development projected to include 26% minority-owned and 10% women-owned business participation. These levels exceed standard state and federal thresholds, Innovation Quarter said.
“Phase II of the Innovation Quarter represents tremendous opportunity for capital investment and job creation. The new development is poised to complement the existing growth of key industry sectors in biotech and life sciences, research and development, startups and more,” said Mark Owens, president and CEO of Greater Winston-Salem, Inc.
“Having this infrastructure in place is critical in giving a green light to companies looking to invest here,” Owens added. “We’re ready to welcome them.”
General contractor Whiting-Turner and civil engineering and landscape architecture contractor Stimmel Associates are completing the work.
Correction/Clarification
An earlier version of the story misstated that Innovation Quarter would be adding more space in Phase II than originally planned.