Fast-growing French biotechnology company bioMérieux has outgrown its space at the University City Science Center and will relocate into 32,000 square feet at a building under development at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. It’s the first lease signed for the new building at 1201 Normandy Place, a project scheduled to open in June. BioMérieux plans to… Read more »
Silicon Valley Bank’s failure — the largest in the U.S. since the 2008 financial crisis — has spawned shockwaves across the U.S. startup scene and sent some companies scrambling to secure funds for payroll and other expenses. The panic was sparked by the bank’s announcement that it planned to raise $2.25 billion after losing $1.8… Read more »
Real estate company SkyREM plans to spend $250 million converting the historic Quartermaster site in South Philadelphia to a life sciences campus with restaurants and a hotel. The redevelopment would feature wet and dry lab space for research, development and bio-manufacturing. The renamed Quartermaster Science + Technology Park is near the southwest corner of Oregon… Read more »
Gattuso Development Partners and Vigilant Holdings of New York have secured a $290 million construction loan for a major life sciences building set to be developed on Drexel University’s campus. The funding comes from Houston-based Corebridge Financial, with an additional equity commitment from Boston-based Baupost Group, which is also a partner on the project. Plans… Read more »
The life sciences industry is growing rapidly in Greater Philadelphia, and projects like Schuylkill Yards, developments like One uCity Square, hubs like the University City Science Center and companies like Spark Therapeutics have helped put University City at the center of the accompanying development boom. University City neighbors Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania are also… Read more »
Keystone Development & Investment has secured a $265.2 million loan to fund its ongoing conversion of Center City’s historic Curtis building into a “life sciences ecosystem.” The three-year loan with extension options comes from Nuveen Real Estate, a $156 billion New York asset manager. The capital will allow Keystone to convert another 200,000 square feet… Read more »
Four tenants including Merck & Co. signed deals totaling 117,000 square feet at Spring House Innovation Park in Lower Gwynedd, contributing to an abundance of life sciences leasing that has occurred across the region so far this year. Leases totaling more than 500,000 square feet were signed in Philadelphia and its suburbs during the first… Read more »
Despite another slowdown in venture-capital funding in the second quarter, developers in the life-sciences space still feel largely confident about the lab real estate sector. That is, in select hubs, submarkets and types of development. Dan Belldegrun, co-founder and CEO of Breakthrough Properties LLC, said right now is a tougher moment for the biotech sector,… Read more »
SmartLabs, an operator of life sciences labs, vivarium and manufacturing spaces, has leased two floors totaling 117,000 square feet at a proposed new building in University City. Philadelphia will serve as the third city SmartLabs will have a presence, underscoring the strength of the city’s burgeoning life sciences scene. SmartLabs maintains a presence in Boston… Read more »
While most passersby see only a weedy and thrash-strewn vacant lot, where some people have abandoned cars and others park still functioning ones, Tia Lyles-Williams sees an opportunity for something big in Southwest Philadelphia. “My vision is to create a life sciences park with drug manufacturing, workforce development opportunities and affordable housing,” said Lyles-Williams, the founder and… Read more »
