Introducing Charlotte's Innovation District: "The Pearl"

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Reflecting the rich history of the neighborhood surrounding it, leaders from Atrium Health and Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, announced today that the new Charlotte innovation district, which will be the future home to Wake Forest University School of Medicine Charlotte, will be known as "The Pearl."

The Pearl innovation district will be constructed in an area of Charlotte formerly known as Brooklyn which, for years, was "a city within a city" where thriving African American businesses, faith communities and families lived, worked and played. Brooklyn was also nestled near Good Samaritan Hospital in Charlotte's Third Ward – an African American hospital with roots to Atrium Health that was comprised of hundreds of doctors, nurses and health care workers who took great pride in caring for their community. In the 1950s and 60s, urban renewal overtook this area and approximately 1,000 families were displaced and more than 200 businesses and 12 churches were destroyed. One landmark that remains from the Brooklyn area is Pearl Street Park, the first African American park in Charlotte that continues to be a well-loved gathering place to this day.

"Many might say this area of town and its rich history have been largely overlooked. But we're here now to begin a new chapter to this story and honor this special place as we empower the neighborhoods around it, which are shaped by diverse people and perspectives, rooted in inclusivity and belonging, and filled with endless potential," said Eugene A. Woods, president and CEO of Atrium Health. "I'm pleased to share that Charlotte's new innovation district, 'The Pearl,' will be a place where Charlotte's historic vitality meets its innovative future. It's a place where excellence lives, and where excellence is learned."

The Pearl innovation district, located at the intersection of Baxter and McDowell streets in Midtown Charlotte, is designed to be a place where people from all walks of life will feel welcome and grow together. It will be a mixed-use development featuring education, retail, apartments, a hotel and an open community space, in addition to being ground-zero for entrepreneurial activity, research and development that is expected to reshape the economy of the Charlotte region.

"It takes a great deal of time to create a pearl in its natural environment," said Woods. "And, just like a pearl, our journey to build an innovation district will, no doubt, require time, energy and determination. However, with the support and the strength of our friends and partners from the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the State of North Carolina, together we will create the crowning jewel of the Queen City."

Over the next 15 years, The Pearl and its tenants are projected to create more than 5,500 onsite jobs – 40% of which are not expected to require a college degree – and more than 11,500 jobs, in total, in the Charlotte community. Groundbreaking is expected later this year.  

According to the Global Institute on Innovation Districts, innovation districts are "dense hubs of economic activity where innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity and placemaking intersect." While the focus of The Pearl is research and developing businesses, the existence of housing, public spaces and desirable amenities help create a sense of livability and community.

"The launch of the Pearl innovation district is being made possible, in large part, due to the strength of the partnership among Atrium Health, Wexford, local governments and the community," said Thomas Osha, executive vice president for Wexford Science & Technology and board chair of the Global Institute on Innovation Districts. "Both the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have approved significant public investments that will be amplified by an additional $1.5 billion in private investments, all with the shared goal of creating an innovation ecosystem that is grounded in research and academics, will include corporate innovators, incubate new ideas and businesses, attract venture funding and scale growth businesses, particularly minority-owned ventures, into a geography where these assets and attributes are amplified for innovation, community and economic impact."

Wexford is also the developer of Winston-Salem's Innovation Quarter, which also has deep ties with Atrium Health and Wake Forest University School of Medicine. With both school of medicine campuses located in the innovation districts, the goal is to develop the region into one of the leading areas for innovation in the nation, working in tandem to advance life-sciences research and development, as well as incubate new businesses in both locations.

As part of today's announcement, Atrium Health and Wexford unveiled the new logo and website for The Pearl innovation district. Updates and announcements for The Pearl will be posted at www.ThePearlCLT.com.

About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is an integrated, nonprofit health system with more than 70,000 teammates serving patients at 40 hospitals and more than 1,400 care locations. It provides care under the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist name in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, region, as well as Atrium Health Navicent and Atrium Health Floyd in Georgia and Alabama. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine is the academic core of the enterprise, including Wake Forest Innovations, which is advancing new medical technologies and biomedical discoveries. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association's Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing more than $2 billion per year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.

About Wexford Science & Technology, LLC
Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, is a real estate company exclusively focused on partnering with universities, academic medical centers and research institutions to develop vibrant, mixed-use, amenity-rich Knowledge Communities that are built on a foundation of research, discovery, innovation, entrepreneurial activity, corporate engagement and community inclusion. These Knowledge Communities create visible outcomes in the form of substantial economic growth, new and diverse jobs and community transformation. Wexford targets strategic opportunities with top-tier research universities that are seeking to create knowledge-led economic development impact for their campuses, cities and regions. Presently, Wexford has developed 16 Knowledge Communities across North America. For more information about Wexford, visit www.wexfordscitech.com.

"Our innovation district will serve as a major economic engine for the Charlotte region and beyond. Our goal from the very beginning has been to create a nationally recognized center, with a hometown feel where learners, researchers and small business owners from all backgrounds can grow together right here in Charlotte…The Pearl will be a place where Charlotte's historic vitality meets its innovative future. It's a place where excellence lives and where excellence is learned."

-  Eugene A. Woods, President and CEO, Atrium Health

"The Pearl is about fulfilling Atrium Health's mission. The Pearl will improve health, with groundbreaking life-sciences partnerships and collaboration that it will cultivate. The Pearl will elevate hope, as new research is brought forward that will cure diseases, save lives and change lives. And, the Pearl will advance healing by educating the next generation of the finest medical minds who will be difference-makers. Partnered with the Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, there are no limits to what we can do together. There are endless possibilities that we can make reality - for all."

-  Angie Vincent-Hamacher, Chair, The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority

Today's announcement brings us significantly closer to fulfilling our collective vision to drive economic and social impact, advance learning and discovery, and strengthen our communities together. Over the past 20 years, the Innovation Quarter has transformed downtown Winston-Salem… it has become the heart of our diverse community, a dynamic place where people from all walks of life come together to collaborate, connect, create and turn possibilities into progress. With The Pearl as our innovation partner, we have an extraordinary – even larger – opportunity for continued growth as we combine our complementary strengths and resources… What we once imagined together is becoming a reality, that will impact the future in health and vibrancy of our communities and our state.

-  Dr. Julie Freischlag, Chief Academic Officer, Atrium Health; Dean, Wake Forest University School of Medicine; CEO Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

"This innovation district will expand educational opportunities – including scholarships for those in underserved communities, as well as growth for small, minority-owned businesses, affordable housing opportunities and significant local, regional and statewide economic development. I'm especially proud of the new name – 'The Pearl,' since it honors Pearl Street Park and its rich history serving the Black community for decades."  

-  George Dunlap, Chair, Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.

"The Pearl is a transformative enterprise for our entire region, offering the highest quality education and innovation, all right here as we grow together… As a strong public-private partnership, The Pearl will be a new crown for the Queen City, bringing new jobs, investments and opportunity.

-  Vi Lyles, Mayor, City of Charlotte

"The innovation district has the potential for great things, such as scholarships with various education requirements, opportunities for jobs and for startup businesses. I also believe there is potential to do great things for our city and our region. I'm very hopeful and optimistic that the future of the innovation district will be beneficial to our community, especially the Black and brown community. I look forward to what the innovation district is going to do as a convener, as collaborator but, most importantly, as a partner."

-  Rev. Janet Garner-Mullins, Community Member

"Innovation districts, like The Peral, combine university and medical research with corporate innovation and commercial activity. They create startup companies and entrepreneurial engagement, and provide for social inclusion and economic mobility. They are, at their very core, engines of municipal, social, cultural workforce and community impact… Innovation districts can be important drivers of regional and state economies. There's a unique opportunity here, with Innovation Quarter just up the road in Winston-Salem. There is, for the first time in North America, a common university and school of medicine partner, Wake Forest; a common clinical partner, Atrium Health; common programming; common entrepreneurial resources – in two cities – so research can go to scale in Charlotte and Winston-Salem, acting as a super-corridor of opportunity and engagement. As it evolves, The Pearl is going to provide tremendous opportunities for all."

-  Thomas Osha, Executive Vice President, Wexford Science & Technologies, LLC

SOURCE ATRIUM HEALTH