Business Case Studies & Business Publications

The North Fork Innovation District and t...

Chao, Raul O., Jor...

Case

The North Fork Innovation District and the Route 29 Innovation Corridor

Chao, Raul O.; Jorgensen, Seiver

OM-1829 | Published April 11, 2025 | 9 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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Learning Objectives

Innovation districts are a real estate development phenomenon changing research parks across America and in other parts of the world. Whereas in many research parks, workers arrive at their jobs in the mornings and leave in the evenings, returning to homes located well outside the parks, innovation districts include residences, retail establishments, and restaurants alongside places of business, creating communities in which people can live and work, all within an amenity-rich environment normally only found in city centers. This technical note explores examples of innovation districts and takes a particularly close look at the efforts of Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville, and the University of Virginia to create the North Fork Research Park, an area that has become central to plans for an "innovation corridor" along US Route 29. Examining both opportunities and challenges, this note gives a robust overview of the project.