Deputy City Manager Don Magner said construction at the building, which will serve as Richardson’s headquarters for The Richardson Innovation Quarter, is on track after a slight delay in materials for the renovation work caused by supply chain issues in 2021.
“All things considered, with the way supplies and materials are today in the world, it’s probably not that significant of a delay compared to [what others] are experiencing,” Magner said. “My gut tells me it's going to be a May opening of the building, [though] we may do a partial opening. That could be a possibility, too.”
The Richardson Innovation Quarter, or The IQ, is a 1,200-acre industrial area east of Central Expressway that, for the past several years, has been the subject of an in-depth, city-led revitalization effort. The plan for the area is that it will become the "premier tech hub in Texas," according to a 2018 vision statement.
UT Dallas plans to house five new research centers at the Collins Boulevard facility as well as an extension of its Venture Development Center. Joseph Pancrazio, UT Dallas vice president for research, said the university’s partnership with the city will help cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Richardson plans to house two staff members at the facility.
