As Fayetteville seeks to keep young people living and working in Fayetteville and grow its regional economic impact, the Fayetteville City Council is exploring the possibility of establishing an innovation district in the city.
An innovation district is a geographic location within a city that fosters economic growth and collaboration by bringing together various entities such as educational institutions, businesses, universities and startups in a concentrated area, according to the Brookings Institution. It relies on “anchor institutions,” like universities or medical centers, surrounded by mixed-use development.
In response to a September request from the Fayetteville City Council to research innovation districts, Assistant City Manager Kelly Olivera gave a presentation about innovation districts and what one in Fayetteville might look like at Monday’s council meeting. Olivera said staff looked at four examples of innovation districts elsewhere in the state: the Research Triangle Park, the Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, The Pearl in Charlotte and Durham ID.
In Fayetteville, an innovation district would emphasize the city’s strengths, Olivera said, such as its affordability for first-time homebuyers or the demand for technology and manufacturing workers here. The district would also support existing industries with strongholds in Fayetteville, such as defense, retail, healthcare, logistics and transportation, according to Olivera’s presentation.
Another key facet of the innovation district is providing access to public transportation, mixed-use developments and communal spaces that foster social interactions, Olivera said.
“So it’s imperative to have spaces that might be used for a work meeting during the day, but in the evening would be a place where people congregate and there might be a performance of some sort,” Olivera said. “Sharing innovation is another guiding principle. How can we transform public spaces into living labs where innovation is shared?”
Council members expressed strong interest in developing an innovation district. Mayor Mitch Colvin said ongoing economic development initiatives in Fayetteville will complement the district. He cited Project Aero, the almost $868 million titanium plant coming to Fayetteville, as well as Methodist University’s planned medical school and the city’s regional clean energy initiative.
“I’m glad that we’re having this conversation,” Colvin said, “and I think this dovetails into a lot of the areas that we’ve been talking about.”
Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Jensen emphasized the innovation district’s potential to keep young professionals in Fayetteville, as opposed to moving to other cities like Raleigh or Durham.
City staff have been talking with the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University to conduct further analysis and gather insights on best practices for innovation districts, as well as connect with consultants who can guide the development of the district, Olivera said.
“We’re trying to get some potential consultants from them that we could vet and potentially have come back and work with council to flesh out a little bit more of what you want, what your thoughts are on the innovation district,” Olivera said.
The council intends to revisit the topic during its strategic planning retreat scheduled for the end of January.
The next Fayetteville City Council meeting, which will be the final meeting of the year, is on Dec. 9.
Contact Evey Weisblat at eweisblat@cityviewnc.com or 216-527-3608. This story was made possible by donations from readers like you to CityView News Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
Always looking for ways to spend(waste) tax dollars!!