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15 <br />well located for collaborations with scientists at the medical school and to receive supportive <br />service from the business school. Orange County will have an Odum Village presence in 2012. <br />Orange County EMS will occupy one floor of a 4-unit building which will locate emergency <br />services closer to UNC dormitories. The university is quite interested in opening discussions <br />with the county about alternative uses of buildings at Odum Village, and OCED should respond <br />to this opportunity. Older space eventually slated for demolition is ideal for the targeted <br />companies. <br />In early 2012, iJNC is making a major investment in an incubator, and OCED should determine <br />the best way to participate. The privately owned facility at 505 West Franklin is scheduled to <br />open next spring. It will have offices and wet lab space on the first floor and common areas and <br />meeting space on the second floor, 7,000 SF total. The university plans to rent desk space in the <br />upstairs common area. The Town of Chapel Hill has purchased the lot across the street to <br />mitigate parking problems. Although the details of the project are not yet finalized, the goal is to <br />offer attractive free or affordable space with services and events of interest to early-stage <br />companies and budding entrepreneurs. Firms in the Renci Launch Pad at the Europa Center that <br />achieved certain milestones could graduate to space in the 505 incubator. <br />The 505 incubator is in an excellent location. It is between downtown Chapel Hill and <br />downtown Carrboro and gaining its own identity in an area called Midway. Many restaurants are <br />nearby; Panera and Chiplotle are only 031 miles to the east. The proposed hotel at 303 East <br />Main will be one quarter mile to the west. The Franklin Hotel is even closer to the east. The <br />incubator site is frequently served by two buses (F and J) and is less than 5 minutes to Weaver <br />Street Market and less than 7 minutes to Franklin and Columbia Streets by bus. <br />The county owns 503 West Franklin next door. The tourism bureau occupies the front portion of <br />this building. The larger space behind the tourist bureau is devoted to employment training. <br />There are also srnall suites on one side occupied by Terra Dotta, an educational-software <br />company, and the Guardian Ad Litem office which serves the district court. In the next 2-5 <br />years, the county could decide to relocate this training facility to more auto-accessible county- <br />owned or leased space.12 If available, classrooms in the Durham Tech building at Waterstone <br />would be ideal.13 The vacated space could become an accelerator for graduates of the incubator <br />and/or house a valuable service provider.la <br />12 Most trainees drive to this training facility. For those without cars, the county should offer <br />transportation service similar to what is provided for public health and social service clients. <br />13 The county should not consider new construction at this time. The office and flex markets are <br />oversupplied. With a good tenant rep, the county should be able to negotiate favorable 3-5 year leases for <br />county programs needing space in the near term. <br />14 For example, the SBTDC currently occupies office space in a university-owned building at Timberlyne. <br />It could become the new occupant at 503 and provide technical assistance to the startups next door. <br />12 <br />