NEW YORK—The most recent edition to the East Side medical corridor was unveiled Thursday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and CEO of Alexandria Real Estate. The completion of the first building of the Alexandria Center for Life Science was lauded by the mayor and other elected officials as an important innovation in fostering a diversified economy and providing jobs.
The center is a publicly and privately funded initiative that has already attracted a number of major biotechnology companies specializing in oncology, infectious diseases, and immunology.
Located at 450 East 29th Street, the 15-floor, 310,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building has a core and shell construction that is LEED Silver certified for environmental impact and energy efficiency.
The mayor emphasized the importance of New York keeping its competitive edge on the national and global markets, noting that the boost of the numerous companies coming to the Alexandria Center will create enormous momentum and give the city a big lift.
“We’re in competition with people from around the world for jobs, investment, cultural institutions, and New York City is going in the right direction,” Bloomberg said. “We want to make sure our city attracts the best and brightest in the world.”
The center is a publicly and privately funded initiative that has already attracted a number of major biotechnology companies specializing in oncology, infectious diseases, and immunology.
Located at 450 East 29th Street, the 15-floor, 310,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building has a core and shell construction that is LEED Silver certified for environmental impact and energy efficiency.
The mayor emphasized the importance of New York keeping its competitive edge on the national and global markets, noting that the boost of the numerous companies coming to the Alexandria Center will create enormous momentum and give the city a big lift.
“We’re in competition with people from around the world for jobs, investment, cultural institutions, and New York City is going in the right direction,” Bloomberg said. “We want to make sure our city attracts the best and brightest in the world.”
The land atop which the center sits is owned by the city and was once occupied by a hospital laundry building.
The city provided $13.4 million for the project, while New York state contributed $27 million to prepare the site before development started five years ago.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who provided an additional $500,000 to the project, said the city has always been a magnet for people from all over the world, calling the opening of the center another opportunity for New York to sell itself on the national and international stage.
“If we’re going to keep New York City competitive, we have to diversify this economy, we have to market ourselves to the whole world,” Stringer said.
Once the remaining construction is completed, the Alexandria Center for Life Science will comprise three buildings covering 1.1 million square feet, providing space for rent to various biotechnology companies. Two dining facilities, the Riverpark restaurant and the Wichcraft sandwich shop, have already opened on site.
The city also unveiled construction of a bioscience center at the Brooklyn Army Terminal this year. The project, called BioBAT, will provide 486,000 square feet of commercial space.
The city provided $13.4 million for the project, while New York state contributed $27 million to prepare the site before development started five years ago.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who provided an additional $500,000 to the project, said the city has always been a magnet for people from all over the world, calling the opening of the center another opportunity for New York to sell itself on the national and international stage.
“If we’re going to keep New York City competitive, we have to diversify this economy, we have to market ourselves to the whole world,” Stringer said.
Once the remaining construction is completed, the Alexandria Center for Life Science will comprise three buildings covering 1.1 million square feet, providing space for rent to various biotechnology companies. Two dining facilities, the Riverpark restaurant and the Wichcraft sandwich shop, have already opened on site.
The city also unveiled construction of a bioscience center at the Brooklyn Army Terminal this year. The project, called BioBAT, will provide 486,000 square feet of commercial space.
