Atrium Health's proposal for what it calls an "innovation district" attached to its new planned medical school in midtown Charlotte has support from Mayor Vi Lyles.
The Charlotte-based hospital system is asking for $75 million in subsidies from Mecklenburg County and the city to help pay for the district’s infrastructure. Lyles said at a news conference Thursday she said there will be benefits for the city.
Atrium says the medical school will help draw businesses doing research and development in the life sciences to the district.
"Our investment will be an investment for our entire community," Lyles said. "It’ll be better health care, better-paying jobs, and it’ll be something that’ll attract other types of industry and the support of the type of work they’re going to do."
Atrium has said the district could create 11,500 jobs over the next 15 years and more than $800 million in earnings. Construction on the school is set to begin in 2022 on 20 acres at McDowell and Baxter streets, close to Atrium's flagship hospital, Carolinas Medical Center.
Around a third of those jobs would be for people without a bachelor's degree, according to the hospital system.
