New biomanufacturing campus for California

By Rachel Arthur

- Last updated on GMT

Artist's impression of the new site. Pic: Transwestern
Artist's impression of the new site. Pic: Transwestern

Related tags California Us

California’s City of Vacaville has approved plans to develop a 375,000 square foot biomanufacturing campus.

A development of Transwestern Ventures, Axiom Point will be delivered in two phases, the first comprising 252,000 square feet and the second comprising 123,000 square feet.

The campus will welcome companies involved in biomanufacturing, laboratory research and development, medical device manufacturing, food science, agricultural technology and healthcare.

Speedy planning approval

The new development will be located on 22.4 acres in Vaca Valley Business Park: which is already home to companies such as Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, RxDNova, Agenus and Polaris.

It will be the first life science campus to take advantage of the City’s Biotechnology and Advanced Manufacturing Initiative, which boasts a Biotechnology Fast-Track Program committing the city to processing planning entitlements in 100 days or less.

The Axiom Point facility, for example, was approved less than 90 days after the planning application was formally submitted.

“Vacaville has the land, infrastructure, and workforce that the biotechnology industry needs to grow, along with a long-standing commitment to a streamlined and frictionless process,”​ said City of Vacaville Mayor Ron Rowlett. “We are building on our proven success with the industry to secure Vacaville’s continued leadership as a biomanufacturing center going forward, and are fortunate that Transwestern sees the potential and value to investing in Vacaville. We look forward to the project getting underway!”

Vacaville is situated along I-80, the main thoroughfare between the state capital and the Bay Area. The city champions its centralized proximity to San Francisco, Sacramento and the University of California’s Berkeley and Davis campuses; which provide access to talent across the life sciences and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Additionally, Solano Community College’s Vacaville campus sits adjacent to the Vaca Valley Business Park and offers two biomanufacturing baccalaureate programs.

Vacaville is also home to the California Biomanufacturing Center Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating biomanufacturing growth.

There are approximately 39.1 million square feet of existing biomanufacturing space across the four major life science markets of Boston, San Francisco, San Diego and Raleigh/Durham, with an average building age of 34 years, according to Transwestern’s research.

Of that space, only 3.4% is currently available, ‘underscoring the need for highly efficient, state-of-the-art biomanufacturing space through a project such as Axiom Point.’

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