Rockville, MD – Further demonstrating its diverse range of services and loyal client base, Scheer Partners is assisting Novavax’s efforts to secure tenancy for its Rockville facility only a few months after representing the vaccine maker in acquiring approximately 75,000 square feet of space in nearby Gaithersburg.
Scheer Partners, the leading provider of fully integrated commercial real estate services for the health science industry in the Washington and Baltimore metropolitan areas, announces today its hiring by Novavax to sublease 9920 Belward Campus Drive, a two-story, 51,200-square-foot biomanufacturing, R&D and office building.
Robert Scheer, the founder and president of Scheer Partners, Henry Bernstein, a senior vice president, and Matt Brady, a vice president, are handling the marketing responsibilities for 9920 Belward Campus Drive, which is owned by San Diego-based BioMed Realty Trust and represents one of the biggest blocks of contiguous biotech space now on the market in the D.C. region.
“This facility is strategically situated within the Rockville submarket – ground zero for biotech activity along the Interstate 270 technology corridor,” Brady says. “Presently, there are limited opportunities of this size, and this is one of the best options in the marketplace.
“For biopharmceutical companies looking to add another location or occupy manufacturing and R&D space, rather than build a facility from scratch, 9920 Belward Campus Drive makes a lot of sense,” he adds. “A mid-stage firm ready to step-up to the next level is an ideal user.”
Among the building’s features are a cGMP pilot-scale biomanufacturing suite; lab space with metal casework and epoxy resin benches; lab services such as an autoclave and a glass wash; a central vacuum and central-compressed air systems; walk-in cold rooms; conference rooms; a large kitchenette and eating area; and existing office furniture available for purchase.
The building, which can be leased in its entirety or by individual floors, will be available for occupancy by a new subtenant in the first quarter of 2013.
Novavax and Scheer Partners have a multi-year history of collaborating on real estate projects. Late last year, Scheer Partners announced that it had negotiated for Novavax a long-term lease of 74,209 square feet of biomanufacturing, R&D and office space at 20 and 22 Firstfield Road in Gaithersburg.
The Rockville-based commercial real estate firm also represented the clinical-stage vaccine manufacturer on its current lease at 9920 Belward Campus Drive. Says Scheer: “We are excited that Novavax, an extremely promising biopharmaceutical vaccine company, has once again chosen to work with us and rely on our expertise to meet its needs.”