Mecklenburg leaders seek more details on Atrium's Pearl project

The first two buildings nearing completion will house a medical school and have space for biotech companies

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Atrium touts progress on The Pearl medical innovation district — but some county commissioners press for specifics on the benefits Atrium promised

Collin Lane, Atrium’s senior vice president of facilities management, told county commissioners that The Pearl innovation district is on track and will be a transformational development. (Mecklenburg County YouTube channel)

At a Mecklenburg County meeting this week, Atrium Health highlighted its progress on The Pearl, the $1.5B medical innovation district anchored by the city’s first four-year medical school that’s set to open this summer.

Collin Lane, senior vice president of facilities management for Atrium parent Advocate, hailed the project as a “model for what a public-private partnership should look like,” congratulating the county commissioners for investing in an initiative that will “create life-changing education and employment opportunities for our community and … establish this community as a life sciences, medical device and health sciences leader.”

But some commissioners weren’t ready to take a victory lap just yet. While they acknowledged the project’s transformative potential, several asked for more details to ensure their public investment would deliver promised long-term benefits.