Greensboro gets federal funding to launch innovation district

The City of Greensboro is getting $3 million in federal funding to help launch an innovation district to lure high-tech businesses and advanced manufacturing to downtown.

The city is partnering with colleges including North Carolina A&T, UNC Greensboro and GTCC along with groups like Transform Greensboro Inc. and the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship.

Larry Davis is an assistant city manager for Greensboro. He says the district will be an extension of a mixed-use strategy that's already in place.

“We've been looking at the section of South Elm Street that basically begins at Gate City Boulevard and works its way down several blocks from our S. Elm Street redevelopment activity that's already underway,” he says.

Three million dollars won't come close to fully funding the district; it's more of a start to the development process. Davis says the plan is to build the project in stages, so there is not a long-term budget in place.

The money comes from a $10 million federal congressional earmark. It also includes money for buses, workforce development and an updated 911 computer-aided dispatch system.