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Pack + Play at
BOXYARD RTP Written by Amber Keister Photographed by Jonathan Fredin
Turning into Research Triangle Park, sleek concrete and glass office buildings sprawl along tree-lined roads, until something catches your eye. Ahead on a slight rise is a squat collection of vibrantly hued metal boxes. The new Boxyard RTP development stands out — and not just for its unusual appearance. Instead of conventional building materials, the development was constructed from 38 repurposed shipping containers. Located at Highway 54 near T.W. Alexander Drive, Boxyard RTP is also the first restaurant and retail space inside the Park. “We wanted to create a center of activity for RTP companies and our neighbors in the surrounding area to come together and enjoy local flavors, sounds and artwork,” says Morgan Weston, director of marketing and communications at the Research Triangle Foundation, which manages the Park. The $7-million Boxyard RTP project was conceived as a way to bring more visitors into the Park and to make the workday brighter for the office workers who were already there. It is key to the foundation’s efforts to revitalize the aging office park and compete with more urban, walkable work environments. “The idea of this whole redevelopment, the grand redevelopment of RTP, is to flip the script on the way people view the Park,” says Amanda Ronan, director of programs at the foundation. “It maybe didn’t have the greatest connotation for some people. It seemed a little closed off. So with guidance from our leadership, we really wanted to change that.” Of the 14 businesses at the yard, many are local restaurants, bars and eateries, including familiar names like Fullsteam Brewery, Bulkogi Korean cuisine and Lawrence Barbecue. The result 50 February/MARCH 2022
MURAL INSIDE OF BUZZY BAKES
is a bit like an open-air food hall, where guests can explore all the options and drink and dine in the central courtyard. There’s also unique shopping and an escape room. The common area hosts frequent musical performances and special events, such as Wonderbop (live music, DJing and spoken word) on the first Saturday of the month or LOJO — Log Off, Jam On (collaborative, open jam session) on Fridays from 5 to 8 P.M. And because the foundation aims to support retail and dining entrepreneurship, Boxyard RTP will also host a revolving set of pop-up vendors. Each business will spend three months in the single-container space and be awarded a $5,000 grant from RTF and NC Idea. The first tenant, clothing retailer Thirteen West, opened in August. Followed by SkyeLight candles and Pop Box Gallery to come. AMENITIES FOR WORKERS Boxyard’s soft opening last June came at a challenging time, when many RTP companies were still working remotely and staffing challenges caused delayed openings for many of the Boxyard tenants. Still, several RTP businesses saw Boxyard as an incentive to invite employees back to the office. continued on page 52
