The Research Triangle Park is one of the largest research parks in the world. It is located
near Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina.
A small part of the park stretches into Wake County, but the majority of the land is in
Durham County.
Overview It is one of the most prominent high-tech
research and development centers in the United States. It was created in 1959 by state and
local governments, nearby universities, and local business interests. Karl Robbins bought
the land where the park is now built. The park covers 7,000 acres situated in a pine
forest with 22,500,000 square feet of built space. The park is adjacent to Interstate
40 and the Durham Freeway. It is managed by the Research Triangle Foundation, a private
non-profit organization. The park is home to over 190 companies employing
50,000 workers and 10,000 contractors, including the second largest IBM operation in the world,
smaller only than the one in India; the company has around 14,000 employees in RTP. The park
hosts one of GlaxoSmithKline's largest R&D centers with approximately 5,000 employees.
Cisco Systems' campus in RTP, with approximately 4,000 employees, is the third highest concentration
of its employees outside of its Silicon Valley corporate headquarters and India.
Local government The park is an unincorporated area, and state
law prohibits municipalities from annexing areas within the park. Some local government
functions are served by the Durham-Wake Counties Research and Production Service District,
a special tax district created in 1986 that is conterminous with the park, wherein the
property tax rate is limited to 10 cents per $100 valuation. The park has special zoning
as a Research Applications District in the Wake County portion, and a Scientific Research
Park in the Durham County portion. As of October 2012, both zoning areas are in the process
of being revised to allow higher density development. The zoning changes are coupled with legislative
changes allowing for Urban Research Service Districts within the Park, which can include
a mix of retail and residential usages. These newly permitted URSDs could levy taxes at
the same rate as a neighboring city. Master plan
On November 9, 2012, an update to the RTP master plan was released for the first time
since the park's creation in 1959. With 39,000 employees in 22,000,000 square feet of office
space, RTP only had 600 acres left under previous rules, enough for 6000 more employees and
4,000,000 square feet to be added. John Alschuler of HR&A Advisors said the new plan would allow
150,000 employees in 84,000,000 square feet of space. Three areas would offer new development.
Triangle Commons in Durham County would have 300 acres to 400 acres and 7,000,000 square
feet of office space, a hotel and conference center, a new science and technology high
school and a commuter rail station. Park Center at N.C. 54 and Davis Drive, seriously underutilized,
would become a business support center. Kit Creek Center in Wake County would have 850
acres with a commuter rail station and add 2,200,000 square feet to 3,300,000 square
feet of office space. Companies and institutions in or near the
Research Triangle Park
Universities
Campbell University Duke University
Meredith College North Carolina Central University
North Carolina State University St. Augustine's University
Shaw University Skema Business School
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill William Peace University
See also The Triangle
References
Bibliography Link, Albert N.. A Generosity of Spirit: The
Early History of the Research Triangle Park. Research Triangle Park: Research Triangle
Foundation of North Carolina. ISBN 978-0-9648051-0-1. OCLC 33045964.
Link, Albert N.. From Seed to Harvest: The Growth of the Research Triangle Park. Research
Triangle Park: Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina. ISBN 978-0-9648051-1-8.
OCLC 50694901. External links
Research Triangle Park Web site Research Triangle Regional Partnership
North Carolina's Research Triangle Park: An Investment in the Future UNC-TV documentary
commemorating RTP's 40th anniversary, produced by John Wilson and narrated by Carl Kasell
of NPR News