Construction is starting on a major new headquarters building in northwest Charlotte

Construction is underway on Corning Optical Communications’ new headquarters in northwest Charlotte, developer Beacon Partners said Friday.

The 182,170-square foot building had originally been anticipated to open in 2018, as Corning Optical relocates from Hickory. Up to 650 will work at the new headquarters, which is underway in the Riverbend Village development at Brookshire Boulevard and Interstate 485.

Now, Corning Optical is planning an early 2019 opening. The six-story building will include a mix of open space for collaboration and private areas for more focused work, as well as connections to walking trails and paths for employees.

“We are excited to be working alongside the great people at Corning to deliver a new office building on a site that addresses the short- and long-term real estate needs for their growing optical communications business,” said Sean McDonnell, director of build-to-suit development at Beacon Partners, in a statement.

“We’re excited to co-innovate with (Beacon) as they build our new home in Charlotte,” Clark Kinlin, executive vice president at Corning Optical, said in a statement.

The company will still operate manufacturing facilities in Hickory. Corning Optical, a division of New York-based Corning Inc., builds advanced glass components such as optical fiber for fiber optic communication networks.

Riverbend Village is a mixed-use project that will also include a 78,000 square-foot Harris Teeter, more than 500 residences and 330,000 square feet of shops and restaurants. Several tenants, including Firehouse Subs and Dunkin’ Donuts, have already been signed. The developers have said permitting and road improvements delayed the start of construction.

Gensler is the architect for Corning Optical’s new building, Balfour Beatty is the general contractor and Land Design is the civil engineer. Regions Bank is providing financing.

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Construction is starting on a major new headquarters building in northwest Charlotte."