CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte community celebrated the grand opening of an innovation district in midtown Monday morning.
The Pearl is Charlotte’s first innovation district. The area will also bring Charlotte its first four-year medical school, operated by Wake Forest, which is set to open this summer.
But officials say this is only the start of the transformation.
“We don’t even understand the impact that today’s investment will have on our future generations,” county commissioner Mark Jerrel said. “I can’t wait to see what this is in 10, 20 years from now. It’s going to be transformational.”
The billion-dollar, 700,000 square-foot complex will also include shops, apartments and medical offices.
Leaders told Channel 9’s Evan Donovan that the district will have a hand in creating 12,000 jobs in the Charlotte area over the next 15 years.
The Pearl will be a center for medical innovation. And local leaders are calling it “the future of medicine in Charlotte.”
It will serve as the exclusive North American headquarters of IRCAD, a renowned surgical training institute. It will also be home to innovative medical technology companies like Siemens, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic.
“This is where we prepare the clinical workforce of the future with the latest technology, side by side with world-class researchers,” Advocate Health CRO Gene Woods said.
The district was built in the area of Charlotte historically known as Brooklyn, once a thriving Black community that was displaced in the 60s and 70s.
“Rooting in community was the key reason we named this The Pearl — to honor Pearl Street Park, the first park created for African Americans during segregation," Mayor Vi Lyles said at the grand opening.
She said The Pearl will broaden Charlotte’s appeal to new types of businesses and build on its growing reputation as a great place to live and work.
“We’re gonna be training doctors for our community,” she said. “This is going to help us be not just a banking town or a tech town or whatever, it is going to make us be a health center.”
“I’m so excited”
Channel 9’s Jonathan Lowe spoke with the Donaldson family as they got their first look at the facility.
Adelyn Donaldson said her journey towards a career in women’s health will start in July. She said she applied to medical schools in other cities and states, but this was her dream institution.
“This is a dream school of mine, and giving back to the health and my community that I’ve grown up in is my number one priority,” said Adelyn.
Adelyn’s father, Mark Donaldson, said it will be nice to have his daughter close to home. He also expressed that she will be in training for the next generation of the clinical workforce.
“It’s probably nicer than I thought. I love the investment in the community,” said Mark.
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