Expanding N.C. State’s Centennial Campus will further the vision for research that created it

NC State’s Centennial Campus is one of America’s premier public-private research parks and the continuation of a bold idea 30-years-young. On Dec. 19, 1984, more than a thousand acres of land was transferred to NC State as part of a bipartisan second land grant. The goal was to support North Carolina in advancing educational excellence, innovation and economic development, and to expand the state’s largest university.

At the end of Gov. James B. Hunt Jr.’s second term, he signed legislation that gave NC State 355 acres of land just south of the main campus. His successor, Gov. James Martin, more than doubled that gift with another 741-acre tract of land the following year.

The vision was to create an innovative research campus where private companies could work in collaboration with university researchers and students to solve the challenges facing our society, develop businesses that drive the state’s economy and serve as a national model for public-private research partnerships.

Today, Centennial Campus is an international success story. The more than 1,000-acre campus is home to 5 million square feet of both public and private innovation space, creating a unique environment for the 75 companies and government agencies that work alongside an equal number of our academic departments and units.

In 2020, we opened Fitts-Woolard Hall — a 225,000-square-foot engineering innovation hub that provides critical infrastructure for catalyzing new innovations and developing tomorrow’s workforce. The N.C. Plant Sciences Buildings will open late next year, bringing together industry, government and university partners to drive research and innovation to sustainably feed a growing global population.

Centennial also serves as a launchpad for new ideas, companies and jobs. A variety of companies and government research agencies partner with NC State researchers and students to create solutions and grow their talent pipeline. These collaborations create hands-on learning opportunities for students, while advancing research for faculty and driving economic impact across our state.

Homegrown companies like Red Hat, whose $34 billion buyout by IBM was one of the largest tech acquisitions, and fast-growing telecommunications company Bandwidth, who recently announced the creation of 1,100 new jobs, trace their growth to Centennial Campus before expanding their headquarters in Raleigh.

Global energy company ABB was our first corporate partner on Centennial in 1989. Over the years the partnership has celebrated many advancements in smart energy, and ABB expanded its presence in the Triangle several times — now with thousands of employees across North Carolina.

We are committed to continue the vision set forth by state leaders more than three decades ago. Planning for well beyond the end of the pandemic, NC State is requesting a zoning modernization for Centennial Campus to position the property for a “live learn work play” vision for future development in alignment with how the region has evolved.

The modernization requests the zoning align with the City of Raleigh’s new zoning ordinances. We’re requesting the flexibility of building heights up to 28 stories in one 32-acre area where we have future plans for a mixed-use innovation district. The campus will continue to maintain recreation space and public connectivity to Centennial and Lake Raleigh, as well as complement Centennial’s proximity to Dorothea Dix Park. The zoning area does not include the property east of Centennial Parkway, also known as the Spring Hill District.

Centennial Campus is a remarkable story of a grand vision and groundbreaking innovation that has long driven broad benefits to Raleigh and beyond. We hope our community will continue to participate in its future.

Public meetings on the Centennial Campus plans will be held on Nov. 17 and 18. To learn more, visit centennial.ncsu.edu/zoning.