The Phoenix City Council recently voted to allow a development agreement between the city and The Boyer Company to develop a laboratory research facility on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

The approximately 150,000-square-foot, six-story biomedical research facility, with at least 40 percent research space, including wet labs, will be located along Fifth Street between the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)/International Genomics Consortium (IGC) and the Arizona Biomedical Collaborative facilities.

The project is expected to create up to 500 construction jobs and up to an additional 400 sustainable biomedical jobs, which on average have an annual salary of more than $57,000. The $50 million facility will be privately funded, with no city financial assistance, generating up to $3.3 million in lease revenues to the city.

Mayor Phil Gordon said, “This project is exactly what this city needs right now. Hundreds of new construction jobs to create a cutting-edge research facility in the heart of our downtown.”

Deputy City Manager Rick Naimark said, "The TGen/IGC building at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus is 100 percent leased. There is demand for wet lab space where researchers can safely work with chemicals, drugs or other materials that require special equipment and ventilation. This project meets that demand and allows for bioindustry expansion in Phoenix."

Boyer was selected after an extensive request for proposals process in 2010 when the company presented a lab-research facility that complements the Phoenix Biomedical Campus and can create synergy with other tenants such as the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix.

"The Boyer Company is pleased to have the opportunity to work with the city of Phoenix on this exciting project," said Matt Jensen, partner, The Boyer Company. "We have a great team, including SmithGroup Architects, DPR Construction and Cassidy Turley BRE Commercial that bring an unmatched level of experience to the project and we look forward to working with the companies in the collaborative research opportunities presented by the existing campus."

Construction is expected to begin in mid-2012 and the facility is expected to open early 2014.