Technology partner moves out

Innovation Park may have Phase II plans put on hold after leaseholder relocates development facilities

The 85
Image by: Alex Choi
The 85

Worldwide metal company and Innovation Park leaseholder Novelis is moving its Research and Development operations out of Kingston ­­— a decision that could impact Queen’s Innovation Park.

Queen’s leases an 85,000 square ft. multi-tenant space from Novelis with the aim of bringing research and ideas to the market.

The move was announced this week and will occur next summer.

Steven Liss, Queen’s vice principal of research, said the University will engage in discussions with Novelis, but that no decisions have been made regarding Innovation Park’s presence in the building or the possibility of Queen’s purchasing it.

Innovation Park has been open since 2008.

Any decisions on the University’s part regarding the move will likely take months to announce, he added

“There’s a lease agreement with Novelis and there is a lot of terms and agreements that provide provision for the situation as we see it now unfolding,” Liss said.

Liss said Novelis’ move could put a hold on the University’s plans to build a Phase II at Innovation Park which would involve developing the 50 acres of land Queen’s recently purchased near the current location of Innovation park for “industrial use, including research and experimental activities.”

“Given that Novelis’ footprint has now changed, we have to look at the options looking forward,” he said.

Liss said though Novelis was one of the primary partners when Innovation Park was established, the current relationship is mostly real estate-based.

“We entered our relationship with Novelis with a lease relationship and built up the space available through populating the Innovation Park with a variety of tenants in Kingston,” Liss said.

Novelis’ Research and Development facility neighbours Innovation Park near the corner of Princess St. and Concession St., while the Novelis manufacturing plant, which will remain in town, is located off of John Counter Blvd.

Last year, Novelis announced that some of Kingston’s research jobs would be heading to Georgia, but denied that the Research and Development facility itself would shut down.

Tags

Innovation park, Novelis, Research

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