"Technology Overtakes Tobacco in Winston-Salem, NC" - a New York Times Article

Technology Overtakes Tobacco in Winston-Salem, NC

Piece in the New York Times  detailing development of Wake Forest Innovation Quarter:  "the technology business park is being updated to fit two development priorities of the 21st century:  proximity and collaboration", discussing why the Quarter is an "update" to Research Triangle Park.

Inmar Moving Downtown!

 

Since Inmar announced in April that it would stay in Winston-Salem, there has been speculation:  would they renovate and add on to their existing headquarters or would they move downtown to the Piedmont Triad Research Park or the GMAC building? On July 31st, the company announced that their new corporate headquarters would be in two former Reynolds buildings, 90-3 and 90-1A, in the North District of the PTRP. The buildings, located at the southeastern corner of Seventh and Vine Streets are owned and will be renovated by Wexford Science and Technology LLC, the company which did that did such a fabulous job on Wake Forest Biotech Place. According to the press release, the buildings are 51 years old and contain 240,000 sq.ft.  The project will be LEED certified and will preserve the historic character of the buildings; it is scheduled to be completed in 17 months - December 2013. Click here for a Google Maps Street view perspective of the buildings as they currently stand. 

W-S 2nd Most Digitalized City by Size; Rana Loca's New Look; Wake Forest Biotech Place Update

 
In the 2011 results of its 10th Anniversary Digital Cities Survey, the Center for Digital Government  found Winston-Salem to be the 2nd most digitalized for cities with a population between 125,000 and 249,000.  According to their website, "[t]he survey focused on results achieved by cities, via the use of technology, in operating efficiencies and realizing strategic objectives despite current fiscal constraints."

Rana Loca, the popular 4th Street restaurant, will be closing; its owners will be opening Encore! in the same space with a menu catering to a wider, more American taste.

Finally, work on Building 91 of Piedmont Triad Research Park has been completed and will open next month as Wake Forest Biotech Place.  Pictures of the renovations can be found here.

$60-Million Downtown Mixed-Use Development: Plant 64

Plant 64, located inside the Piedmont Triad Research Park, will convert a site previously owned by R.J.R. Tobacco into a mixed-use development with 240 apartments. The site is located across the street from Wake Forest Biotech Place, another former R.J. Reynolds manufacturing site that is currently receiving a $90-million up-fit. As reported by the Triad Business Journal:

There’s no doubt that the Triad apartment market is hot right now. The developers of Plant 64 complex in downtown Winston-Salem expect to benefit from the trend when they bring more than 240 rental units downtown as part of a mixed-use development in the Piedmont Triad Research Park.
Jon Lowder, executive director of the Piedmont Triad Apartment Association, said apartment complexes such as the Nissen Building on Fourth Street have seen strong demand from the corporate market and that the Plant 64 project also has potential to attract well-educated, young and single tenants.
“When you have people that are coming from other areas to work at some of the local companies, they are going to tend to want a little more urban feel,” he said. The Plant 64 project also has a great location because it's just a short walk to the arts scene on Trade Street.
“It’s all right there,” he said.