Competing with major markets in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Raleigh-Durham, Atlanta continues to gain much needed biomedical and life sciences infrastructure with the expansion of the Georgia Tech Technology Enterprise Park (TEP) on the city’s west side. This timely expansion will build upon years of intentional effort to position Georgia Tech and Atlanta as a leader in the global life sciences industry. This investment along with the recent launch of the Center for Global Health Innovation health district in Midtown establishes Atlanta as one of the world’s leading hubs for innovation at the intersection of global health, health technology and life sciences.
The expansion of the TEP area into a thriving biosciences and health innovation district has been a goal of Georgia Tech’s since 2004 when TUFF first loaned the Institution the capital to purchase the land for the future development of the innovation district. In 2005, TUFF developed TEP1, the original high-tech, wet lab facility anchored by two emerging life science companies Altea and CardioMEMSTEP1. The facility is a five story, 126,000 square feet lab and research space with clean rooms, GMP space, vivarium, advanced manufacturing space as well as instructional and office space. The goal of the original development was to provide the biotechnology and life sciences companies coming from Georgia Tech’s incubator with the type of highly specialized facilities necessary to expand and grow the research enterprise without leaving Atlanta. TEP attracted both Georgia Tech spinouts as well as national and global organizations like Kemira Chemical.
Together with the management and activation team from Collaborative Real Estate, TUFF designed and nurtured the academic and research community at TEP to set the foundation for the planned future growth and expansion of the research park. Now, Georgia Tech and its development partner, Trammell Crow, will expand on the foundation TUFF helped achieve and grow for the Institution beginning over 15 years ago.
The expansion is expected to occur over five phases of development across 18 acres, with TEP1 being the main anchor to the new district during the first phase. When completed, the district will add hundreds of square feet of life sciences focused lab and office space across five lab buildings, 280 apartments, ample retail opportunities, walkable amenities, green spaces and community gathering spots to create a live, work, play, learn ecosystem. There is also potential for thousands of new jobs to be created for the area.
The location of the district on the west side will mirror the growth from Tech Square on the east side of Georgia Tech’s main campus. TUFF partnered with Gateway Development and Georgia Tech leadership to develop the Technology Square Research Building and Centergy Building in Tech Square 20 years ago. Tech Square is now an internationally recognized research and innovation district and helped launch Atlanta as a premier hub for technology and innovation with several Fortune 500 companies and major technology companies establishing headquarters in the city. Based on the foundation created by TUFF, Trammell Crow and Georgia Tech will undoubtedly create the same impact on the west side of campus and support the position of Atlanta as a global health hub.