Many ifs in vision for bioscience park; UA says first phase could be done by mid-2009

BYLINE: Alan Fischer afischer@tucsoncitizen.com

Right now it's a big plot of dirt bristling with desert growth and the rusting framework of two long-abandoned airplane hangars.

But a grand vision calls for the soil to soon sprout a world-class bioscience research center complete with a hotel, conference center and perhaps even a bioscience public high school.

A lot of ifs must become reality first, including a complex land swap, finding $30 million for the first major building, signing a developer and recruiting private bioscience businesses for the site.

What's been billed as an economic boon to Tucson's depressed South Side thus has a long way to go before it leads to creation of good jobs and adjacent commercial development.

Nevertheless, the University of Arizona and others are pushing to develop the Arizona Bioscience Park at East 36th Street and South Kino Parkway.

UA and KB Home are in the "11th hour" of two years of negotiations to finalize a land swap to give UA 65 acres at the southwest corner of 36th Street and Kino Parkway, said Bruce Wright, UA associate vice president of economic development. He hopes UA will take title to the property by July 1.

"If all goes well, we will start planning the first set of buildings in the spring of 2008," Wright said. Construction should take 18 to 24 months, with the first phase completed by summer 2009.

A developer and tenants for the park still must be found, Wright said.

The bioscience park is an anchor for a 356-acre development that will include housing and commercial development, including a big-box retailer.

First on the drawing board is a UA-owned 125,000-square-foot building with dry labs, which require temperature and humidity control, and office space that will cost about $30 million, Wright said.

A funding source has not been determined, but Wright is hopeful money will come from a November 2008 Pima County bond election, the state and from private donations.

Two anticipated tenants in the UA building are the Critical Path Institute, or C-Path, an independent, nonprofit working to shorten the path for developing new medical products, and the Arizona Center for Innovation, a business incubator, Wright said.

Plans call for both to receive rent-free space, he said.

The remainder of the bioscience park will be funded and built by a yet to be determined private-sector developer who will lease the land from UA, he said.

UA will post a request for qualifications Sept. 1 to begin the formal process of seeking a developer for the project, Wright said.

"I have visited with 20 or 25 company representatives who have an interest in this project," Wright said. He declined to name any because of the upcoming selection competition. "I know there are six or seven ready to submit qualifications."

Raymond Woosley, president and chief executive of C-Path, said he looks forward to moving to the new bioscience park from current offices on North Campbell Avenue near River Road.

"Right now, the best looking site is the one at 36th and Kino," Woosley said. "I think it is a truly visionary plan, and a great location."

Plans call for C-Path to take 20,000 to 30,000 square feet of office and computer data storage space at the new park.

C-Path has no lab facilities and outsources its lab work. If an anticipated National Science Foundation grant comes through, the needed lab space would prompt C-Path to double its projected size, Woosley said.

C-Path's staff of 25 is expected to double by the time it moves into the new facility, which will take at least two years, he said. If the NSF grant for lab work comes through, staffing would grow even more.

C-Path has a strong relationship with UA and attracts millions of dollars in scientific grants to the university, Woosley said.

In exchange for the 65 acres for the park site, KB Home receives 124 acres at the west end of UA's Science and Technology Park at 9000 S. Rita Road.

KB Home plans to build 600 homes ranging from about $180,000 to $400,000, said John Bremond, president of KB Home Tucson.

At the Kino-36th site, KB will partner with Lennar Homes to develop approximately 130 acres within the 356-acre plot, Bremond said.

The 65-acre bioscience park could eventually contain 3 million square feet of space for offices, labs, housing and other uses, Wright said.

The first phase will total about 660,000 square feet.

"We see it as a mix of research and development as well as commercial enterprises," Wright said.

Small and medium biotech companies will be sought to fill office and lab space, he said. And UA involvement will be sought in addition to the private sector.

"We really need to embed the presence of the university research function to make it a success," Wright said. "We will also include private commercial bioscience companies."

The site will include wet lab space needed for research with liquids and gases, which he said is lacking locally to accommodate high-tech startups and firms that want to come to Tucson.

He was unable to say how many square feet of wet lab space the new facility will have.

A new nonprofit, the Research Park Development Corp., will be formed to secure a master lease for the land, find private investors to fund the project and guide development.

A similar organization was formed to oversee UA's Science and Technology Park when it was organized.

A board of directors will be selected by the Arizona Board of Regents to run the development organization.

"It is too early to say who will participate. No commitments have been made," Wright said. "We must work with the (UA) president and deans to see who would be suitable."

Wright also hopes a bioscience high school will be located on the UA property in conjunction with the Tucson Unified School District.

"TUSD is examining the concept of a bioscience high school, which could also be an early part of the bioscience park," he said. "It could provide the opportunity for students to have hands-on educational experience in the biotech setting. There are a lot of career paths for students to consider."

While the bioscience park project is moving ahead, much work remains. Funding must be found for the UA-owned building. A developer must be found to fund and build the rest of the project. And tenants must be secured.

"We have a lot of work to do. Lots of things must fall into place," C-Path's Woosley said. "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves and overpromise.

"We'll be asking the community to help make this vision real. Right now, it is just a great opportunity," he said. "I see no reason why this vision can't become real."

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PHASE ONE OF ARIZONA BIOSCIENCE PARK

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Preliminary plans call for the first phase of the Arizona Bioscience Park to include six building on 28 acres at the southern end of the property.

Phase one is scheduled to be completed by summer 2009 and includes:

* A conference hotel with 264,000 square feet, 300 rooms and 12 levels

* A conference center with 26,400 square feet of meeting rooms and lobby, on one level

* Multitenant office building A, with 125,000 square feet of dry lab and administrative space, on five levels.

* Office Building B, with 99,200 square feet of dry lab and administrative space, on four levels.

* Office Building C, with 114,000 square feet of dry lab and administrative space, on four levels.

* Office Building D, with 40,000 square feet of drug testing facilities, on 2.5 levels.

* Parking garage, with 1,000 spaces in 332,500 square feet on five levels

* Surface parking, with 675 spaces on 5.5 acres

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Source: Bioscience Park at Kino and 36th Street Draft Framework Plan, March 2006. Prepared by NBBJ, a Seattle architecture and design firm.

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C-PATH

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The Critical Path Institute, or C-Path, is a nonprofit organization that works with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, private companies and academia to find ways to get safe drugs to market faster.

C-Path is independent and not affiliated with any business, organization or interest group. Its neutral status allows C-Path to work with scientists from government, academia and the private sectors.

Based in Tucson and Rockville, Md., C-Path received more than $10 million from several sources, including UA, over a five-year period to launch its programs.

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UA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PARK

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* A swap of 124 acres of the existing University of Arizona Science and Technology Park will be made for the 65 acres where the Arizona Bioscience Park will be developed.

* The UA park sits on 1,345 acres at 9000 S. Rita Road, near Interstate 10.

* The park was purchased from IBM in 1994 and has grown from two tenants and 1,200 employees to more than 27 companies and organizations with more than 7,000 employees.

* Almost 2 million square feet of space have been developed on 345 acres. It includes office and research and development space, and lab facilities.

* Other tenants include high-tech manufacturing and call centers.

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MAP: Bioscience Park site

Source: KB Home/Tucson Citizen

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