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Old Posted Jul 18, 2014, 5:33 AM
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Matthew Matthew is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Johns Creek, GA (Atlanta)
Posts: 3,128
It wasn't just one big announcement made on Tuesday. It was several! Where do we begin? One person at WSTB attended the discussion and another at WSTB received an update through their condo's HOA, which is located beside the medical school project. No newspapers or TV news covered this?

Wake Forest University Downtown Medical School: #CityOfAdaptiveReuse
We've waited for it and now finally... here it is! The downtown medical school! Workers could start on this project in just 8 weeks! It will include spaces for a few other businesses. I'm guessing retail will be included in that space? The building will have a medical library and classrooms for first and second year medical students. It's a renovation of the last vacant industrial building in the IQ District! All buildings after this one will be new construction! Projected completion is set for Spring 2016. BioMedRealty Trust and their subsidiaries will renovate and own the building. They are a major developer and property owner in all 11 Innovation Districts nationwide. I think they are the largest property owner in the city in both total value of all property owned and square footage? This is expected to be BioMedRealty Trust's largest project in Winston-Salem, at over 330,000 square feet. Downtown's IQ District could have around 2,000 students when this building opens?

Massive "U-shaped" building to be renovated into a medical school:


Bailey Power Plant:
This project will also move forward at the same time, with construction expected to start in possibly 8 weeks and workers will complete it in Spring 2016. It will include the SciWorks museum and planetarium, which will be the largest tenant in the entertainment project. BioMedRealty Trust is the developer and will own & manage the property, which will include everything from restaurants/bars to a bowling alley to a movie theatre to a performance hall. They expect their power plant development to become the entertainment hub for downtown. One of the previous posts in this thread will tell you everything that is proposed in it. They may fly drones into the smokestacks today, for their first detailed look inside them.


Credit: Urban Mez

Bailey Park @ East End:
BioMedRealty Trust views their investment in this nearly 2 acre park as enhancing their properties, which so far seem to surround this park. It's amazing how fast this company can build a park! They will complete Bailey Park @ East End in the middle of October of this year. Events to be scheduled at the park could include concerts, speaking series, salsa lessons, book clubs, and fitness events/classes.

Something to think about:
The Power Plant, Future Medical School, and Pepper Building are the last of the big vacant structures in the heart of downtown, if I'm not mistaken. Renovation work is now expected to begin on all three, possibly in the next 8 weeks! And with this in mind, we can expect new construction.

Rails to Trails - The Bicycle Superhighway:
This project is moving forward, with select demolition, but it's being completely redesigned! With BioMedRealty more involved, it seems everything is getting upgraded. They have no trouble contributing the money to do it too. They are telling everyone to think big and go bigger. This redesign could delay the next phase of the project until next year?

North District Phase II:
This is the part of the IQ District that was cleared, graded, grided, and prepared for new construction development. BioMedRealty Trust and their subsidiaries will tell you this is their favorite of the 11 Innovation Districts they work on. It's also the fastest growing in the nation. They have reminded everyone in Winston-Salem they also build new construction buildings. As we've seen at Philadelphia's University City, they also do residential developments too! This part of Winston-Salem's IQ District is unique, compared to the site offerings at the other innovation districts. This is a 28 acre collection of ready-to-go sites for new construction. Everything is new and it presents a blank-slate opportunity to build a dense urban neighborhood in downtown that is centered on research & technology. This is where the new construction 12-13 storey building is proposed. They expect to build at least 4 million square feet of tech company office space on these 28 acres, starting with that signature headquarters tower, along with apartments, retail, park spaces, a streetcar, and maybe a hotel. According to the latest update, they expect to have these 28 acres fully built-out in just 15 years or less! Work could begin as early as next year and they are in contact with potential tenants already. Ayers Saint Gross will release the final site plan at the end of this year, showing how these 28 acres will be developed for state, regional, national, and international marketing. The people working on this are awesome! BioMed Realty wants all of this construction work and they are pushing for bigger and better everything. They are telling locals involved in this they are thinking too small and must go bigger! I would say we should throw-out any previous renderings and plans for these sites. They are redesigning all of this!

525@Vine:
I know it's built, but appsdeacs @ WSTB posted an update, showing new signage. I thought our viewers here may want to see it. I made these smaller, for our photograph/rendering intensive thread. If you want to see the larger full-sized images, go there and let that poster know you like the update.

Quote:
Originally Posted by appsdeacs @ WSTB


RAI Acquires LO:
This is one of the biggest business news stories of the week. Reynolds American, which is Winston-Salem's second largest headquarters, is buying out a neighboring competitor in a deal that could make it the city's largest headquarters? It's also expected to result in more jobs for Winston-Salem over the next 1-3 years. RAI should join the Fortune 250 list? This is also the largest acquisition by a company led by a woman (CEO Susan Cameron).

Big Winston Market:
DWSP had this photograph of Black Mountain Chocolate's new downtown headquarters, retail store, and visible factory in Big Winston Market! Who is ready to visit!


Credit: DWSP

Glade @ West End: #CityOfAdaptiveReuse
Great update in one of the city's indy weeklies on the conversion of an old YWCA into residential units:


Credit: City Beat


Credit: City Beat


Credit: City Beat


Credit: City Beat


Credit: City Beat


Credit: City Beat

1834 Nissen Wagon Works:
This unusual star-shaped smokestack, at the Nissen Wagon Works, was built in 1834! Nissen became famous for having the best wagons, during the Civil War, and quickly became the nation's top wagon manufacturer. At the company's peak, in 1874, its factory complex covered over 600 acres of land and employed hundreds of people. Nissen closed its doors in 1948.


Credit: Urban Mez

More Apartments?
Apartment company Chaucer Creek Capital has purchased a small former industrial building in the former Hanes Textile Complex downtown. This building is located beside The Gallery Lofts, which they also purchased. This could be our next apartment development downtown? No information at this time as to what their plans are for the building. Chaucer Creek Capital would be a new apartment developer to downtown Winston-Salem.

Tour de Frank:
Will you be in Winston-Salem this weekend? Do you want free stuff for eating hotdogs? This sounds like fun! If you're at any of these restaurants, take advantage of this. If you're new to Winston-Salem or visiting from out-of-town and want to take part in it, Airtype Downtown is located on Burke Street. Burke Street will also host Last Friday Street Party next weekend, with beer and food trucks! You may want to visit that too!


Credit: Airtype

Wake Forest University Medical Center:
WFUBMC is ranked #2 in the state and is the #1 cancer hospital in North Carolina, according to US News & World Report. Winston-Salem's Comprehensive Cancer Center, with their beautiful new high-rise building, is actually among the nation's top 20 best cancer centers.
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