March 2010 News Archives

With the arrival of a new year has come good indications that Kannapolis is positioned to make a strong re-emergence from the economic downturn. According to Planning Director Ben Warren, the City has seen a gradual uptick in residential development activity that began in the fourth quarter of 2009 and has continued through the first quarter of 2010.

There are about 25 housing developments currently underway, and the City expects to see as many as 7,000 new single-family homes and hundreds of new apartments become available in the coming decade. A number of developments that had previously stalled when the owners hit financial difficulties and lenders foreclosed on the properties have been picked up by new interests and carried forward.

Warren believes that developers’ continued confidence in the potential of the NC Research Campus to create jobs and attract newcomers is to credit for the renewed momentum in growth.

Following is a progress report on some of the residential developments that have seen renewed activity in recent months.

Riverpointe

The remaining phases of the Riverpointe subdivision on Shiloh Church Road – which represent about 550 lots – were purchased in 2009 by Huntersville-based Wayne Patrick Holdings.

Wayne Patrick Holdings has reconfigured these phases and is working with the City to get their plans finalized and approved. The development is poised for a significant resurgence in activity, as three builders have expressed interest in purchasing the remaining lots, two new model homes have been built and preparations are being made for two more. Pre-sales are currently underway for single-family homes ranging in price from $160,000 to $200,000.

Waterford on Rocky River

Waterford on Rocky River, a single-family community being developed by Niblock Homes recently began planning a new phase. This latest phase will encompass approximately 25 lots, with home prices expected to be in the $300,000 to $400,000 range.

Pelham Pointe

Pelham Point, which is located at the intersection of Jim Johnson Road and Highway 73, was planned as a 112-single-family-home community. However, when the original developer folded, the bank foreclosed on the property.

Currently, a new development interest is in the process of acquiring the property and developing the remaining 70-80 lots.

Wellington Chase

Located off Highway 73 just west of Odell School Road, Wellington Chase, which features four- to five-bedroom single-family homes starting in the low $200,000s, has seen steady activity over the last couple of years.

This positive momentum is expected to continue, as owner Orleans Homebuilders submitted a plat for a new development phase just prior to year-end 2009.

The Falls

Plans for The Falls on West A Street in north Kannapolis were approved in 2007. However, before ground was broken, the original developer went bankrupt, and the site became property of the lender.

Today, there are two different development interests working with the bank to acquire the property. A market study is now underway to assess the current demand, the outcome of which will determine whether The Falls will ultimately be developed as single-family community as originally planned or as a mixed-use community with single-family homes, townhomes and apartments.

Castle & Cooke Townhome Project

Castle & Cooke, developer of the NC Research Campus, has recently received approval from the City’s board of adjustment for a townhome project to be located on Glenn Avenue just north of the proposed NC State greenhouse facility.

Currently in planning and design stage, the project is proposed for 126 townhome units.
Wildwood Ridge

Development on Wildwood Ridge, which is located at the southwest corner of Rogers Lake Road and Cooper Avenue, began in 2007. Over the past year sales activity had fallen dormant, with only about one-third of the 37 lots developed. However, in recent weeks, Epic Builders has started seeing movement in the market again.

The Grand

The Grand on Orphanage Road held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in December 2009 for the first phase of its upscale apartment community.

When construction on the second phase of the project is complete, which is expected to conclude this summer, the community will encompass 500 apartment units ranging from approximately 873 to 1,549 square feet.

Integra Springs at Kellswater

Construction is now underway on Integra Springs, a $35 million, 312-unit apartment community being developed by Lake Mary, Fla.-based Integra Land Co. as part of the Kellswater Bridge mixed-use community.

The first units at Integra Springs are expected to be ready for occupancy by this summer. When completed, Integra Springs will encompass 19 buildings on 20 acres. Apartments will range in size from approximately 858 to 1,238 square feet, with upscale amenities including crown molding, ceramic tile and covered parking.

On Wednesday, February 17, PBH held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new corporate center, which will be located on Kannapolis Parkway across from Caremoor Retirement Center.

The new facility will allow the organization, which is the Local Management Entity (LME) for mental health, development disability and substance abuse services in Cabarrus, Davidson, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties, to reduce its operational costs and maximize internal efficiencies by consolidating all staff under one roof. Currently staff are spread across five locations in the Concord area.

Dan Coughlin, chief executive officer of PBH, explained, “The building will give staff the ability to use technology to gain effectiveness, be more productive and reduce costs on building rent. In addition to these gains, the new building will allow PBH to offer employment opportunities for consumers on a small scale, and both providers and consumers will have use of and benefit from a state-of-the-art training facility.”

Betty Babb, chair of the PBH Board of Directors, believes the project is integral to PBH’s continued ability to lead North Carolina in the field of managing mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse services systems.

The building was designed by Entasis Design, Inc. of Kannapolis, who worked in collaboration with PBH to ensure the space would meet the needs of the growing organization and facilitate collaboration between departments and staff. According to Babb, “Entasis and the PBH executive staff worked closely to ensure the building would support the organization’s strategic plan over the coming years.”

For more information about PBH, visit www.pbhsolutions.org

In January, Monsanto Company, a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality, announced its plans to become a part of the NC Research Campus as it enters into a strategic alliance with the David H. Murdock Research Institute (DHMRI).

The company has signed a long-term lease to establish a research lab focused on the taste and nutritional composition of vegetables. Their objective is to find ways to provide new, more flavorful and healthy choices for consumers so that they will be motivated to eat more fruits and vegetables and become healthier in the process.

The partnership between Monsanto and the DHMRI is yet another example of how founder David Murdock’s vision for the NCRC is coming to life, bringing together academia and industry foster discoveries in nutrition and human health that will have a lasting impact on the way people around the globe live.

“Monsanto’s presence on the NCRC constitutes yet another critical piece in ensuring the success of the campus,” said Murdock. “I am proud to have a company with the outstanding reputation of Monsanto, a leader in the field of agricultural biotechnology, as our newest partner. I look forward to great collaboration and scientific breakthroughs between Monsanto and our other academic and industry partners on the campus.”

For Monsanto, teamwork and third-party alliances are at the core of their leadership in agricultural biotechnology research and development.

“I commend David for his vision in pulling together such diverse institutions that are leaders in their fields” said Robb Fraley, chief technology officer for Monsanto. “The research center holds great promise and the potential to make a significant contribution to human health, nutrition and agriculture. The synergy that exists at a campus like this could lead to truly innovative research and products with long-term benefits for consumers.”

Monsanto will be a flagship corporate tenant at the NCRC’s 350-acre life science campus, where it joins Appalachian State University, Duke University, N.C. A&T University, N.C. Central University, N.C. State University, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Greensboro, UNC Charlotte and Rowan Cabarrus Community College. Their announcement has also sparked renewed interest among other prospective tenants who view the Monsanto decision as an indicator that now may be the time to follow suit.

For more information about the NCRC, visit www.ncresearchcampus.net.

Researchers at the NC Research Campus continue to make their mark in the scientific community, as their findings are being published in academic journals. Following is a brief overview of some of the latest research that has been featured in industry publications.

UNC NRI

The January 2010 issue of the FASEB Journal featured an article detailing the findings of an epigenetic study conducted by the UNC NRI showing a link between maternal diet and brain development in gestating mice.

The research indicates that choline, a nutrient found in meat, nuts and eggs, plays a critical role in helping fetal brains develop regions associated with memory. According to Steven Zeisel, MD, PhD, director of the UNC NRI and a senior member of the FASEB Journal’s editorial board, “Understanding more about how diet modifies our genes could be very important for assuring optimal development.”

Additionally, the NRI is recently announced it is the recipient of a $110,000 scholarship from Balchem Corporation. This gift creates the Balchem Scholarship, a three-year award that supports a doctoral student working in the area of choline metabolism. Balchem is an industry leader, manufacturing choline used by the food industry to fortify foods such as nutritional drinks, cereals, breads, yogurts, nutrient bars, frozen foods and supplements.

For more on the Balchem scholarship, click here.

Appalachian State University

The outcomes of research performed at the Appalachian State University Human Performance Lab on quercetin, a common flavenoid found naturally in many plants, were published in the February 2010 issues of two scientific journals.

Free Radical Research featured the results of a recent study which showed that ingesting quercetin does not alter antioxidant status in humans. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise released the findings of ASU’s study on the influence of quercetin on exercise performance and muscle mitochondrial biogenesis, which showed that ingesting quercetin lead to small but significant improvement in treadmill time trial performance for untrained young adult male subjects while yielding modest but insignificant increases in skeletal muscle mitochondrial biogenesis.

Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute

In November 2009, the journal Clinical Therapeutics published the findings of a study performed at the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute which concluded that combination inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta(2)-adrenergic agonist (ICS/LABA) therapy is recommended for patients whose asthma is not adequately controlled by other maintenance therapies and for those with moderate to severe asthma.