Innovation Center plans are progressing
By: Andrew Ryan Cosgrove, Staff Writer
Issue date: 6/26/08 Section: University
Design plans for the Innovation Center, the first building scheduled to be completed at Carolina North, continue to progress despite the incomplete studies on the larger project's impact on Chapel Hill.
"There has not been a formal design proposal because we are continuing to revise and refine the design structure," said Jack Evans, executive director for Carolina North.
Evans will take the design to the UNC Board of Trustees in July and is hoping to start construction after getting approval by October.
"Right now, though, it has been sent and reviewed by the planning board and will be reviewed by all local advising boards," he said.
Currently, there are two research components being finished concurrently with the design plans for the Innovation Center.
The first, a fiscal analysis, will show what impacts Carolina North will have on the town's economy.
The other is a transit study that will look at the flow of traffic around the project and the utilization of public transportation available.
Neither are finished, but the consultant of the fiscal impact study will be making a preliminary report today, Evans said.
Some members of the Chapel Hill Town Council say they are uneasy about approving plans for the center before the fiscal impact and transit study have been completed.
"It does make it much more challenging to contextualize the Innovation Center in a larger plan when the details of the larger plan have not been cemented," council member Mark Kleinschmidt said.
"We don't want to cast off any of our stated interests, nor would the University, in order just to move this single project," he said.
"But I don't think this building is incompatible with the larger project, it just makes it harder to put it into context."
Evans said he acknowledges that an official wants to know the full plans of the project before he reviews it.
But Evans added, "We have thought carefully about how the Innovation Center is going to be an integrated part of Carolina North."
Trustees said they also feel strongly that the Innovation Center be evaluated critically because it is vital to the project as a whole.
"We feel that it is important to take our time because the building is going to sit in the entry way of Carolina North and be the focal point of the project," trustee Bob Winston said.
"From what I've seen, I don't have a major problem with the design, and I think they have some very nice elements in the plan," he added.
Trustees seemed less worried about the incompletion of the transit and fiscal impact reports.
"I don't think there is any outstanding knowledge that we need to know," Winston said. "We need to start the Innovation Center project because we know the timing is very important."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
"There has not been a formal design proposal because we are continuing to revise and refine the design structure," said Jack Evans, executive director for Carolina North.
Evans will take the design to the UNC Board of Trustees in July and is hoping to start construction after getting approval by October.
"Right now, though, it has been sent and reviewed by the planning board and will be reviewed by all local advising boards," he said.
Currently, there are two research components being finished concurrently with the design plans for the Innovation Center.
The first, a fiscal analysis, will show what impacts Carolina North will have on the town's economy.
The other is a transit study that will look at the flow of traffic around the project and the utilization of public transportation available.
Neither are finished, but the consultant of the fiscal impact study will be making a preliminary report today, Evans said.
Some members of the Chapel Hill Town Council say they are uneasy about approving plans for the center before the fiscal impact and transit study have been completed.
"It does make it much more challenging to contextualize the Innovation Center in a larger plan when the details of the larger plan have not been cemented," council member Mark Kleinschmidt said.
"We don't want to cast off any of our stated interests, nor would the University, in order just to move this single project," he said.
"But I don't think this building is incompatible with the larger project, it just makes it harder to put it into context."
Evans said he acknowledges that an official wants to know the full plans of the project before he reviews it.
But Evans added, "We have thought carefully about how the Innovation Center is going to be an integrated part of Carolina North."
Trustees said they also feel strongly that the Innovation Center be evaluated critically because it is vital to the project as a whole.
"We feel that it is important to take our time because the building is going to sit in the entry way of Carolina North and be the focal point of the project," trustee Bob Winston said.
"From what I've seen, I don't have a major problem with the design, and I think they have some very nice elements in the plan," he added.
Trustees seemed less worried about the incompletion of the transit and fiscal impact reports.
"I don't think there is any outstanding knowledge that we need to know," Winston said. "We need to start the Innovation Center project because we know the timing is very important."
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
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