The College will soon be expanding its research and development capabilities with the lease of a 38,000-square-foot building in the New Town development on Monticello Avenue. Besides providing alternate retail, entertainment, and dining options for students and Williamsburg/James City County inhabitants, New Town will contain a network of residences, offices, financial institutions and research facilities.
The 65-acre Discovery Business Park will house two buildings with major ties to the College, "Discovery One" and "Discovery Two." The bio-informatics company Incogen, which has been working with Eastern Virginia Medical School to develop less invasive methods of recognizing a variety of cancers, will own Discovery One. The private William and Mary Endowment Association will build and own Discovery Two.
According to the 6 September 2005 Williamsburg Magazine, the newly-formed technology and applied science William & Mary Research Institute (WMRI) will use space in Discovery One, in addition to Incogen. Additionally, this building will house a workforce training facility run by Thomas Nelson Community College and the James City economic development office.
The College will use the Discovery Two building to house its technology-transfer program, technology and business center, and Office of Development. "I\'m [...] delighted that our development fundraising efforts, which have been so successful in the current [$500 million] campaign, will have an appropriate permanent home,\" said former President of the College, Timothy J. Sullivan of the new economic development center location.
President Sullivan, who played a significant role in fundraising for the College during his tenure, has additional ties to the New Town development. The village green between Main and Center Streets in New Town has been designated "Sullivan Square" in honor of the former College president. Additionally, the tenant of office 207B in the Bank of America Building on Courthouse Street is listed as "Timothy J. Sullivan."
The W&M Endowment Association and C.C. Casey Limited Company have collaborated in the development of this mixed-use community. Although the area is still heavily under construction and will not be completed for up to 12 more years, many of retail and office spaces in the Shops of Main Street are open. Dining establishments include a Quiznos, a Ben & Jerrys and The Corner Pocket, a billiards hall and cafe. The new 12-screen Consolidated Theater is scheduled to open next month.