CAMBRIDGE, MA— Longfellow Real Estate Partners announced that Vor Biopharma, an oncology company pioneering engineered hematopoietic stem cells (eHSCs) for the treatment of cancer, will occupy 33,000 square feet as of July 20, 2020 at 100 CambridgePark, one of the three buildings that comprise the 609,000-square-foot office campus Longfellow acquired in 2017.
Vor will be the first biotech firm to occupy the property, which Longfellow will finish converting to state-of-the-art lab space for biotechs, pharma companies and research institutions in one of the country’s most dynamic life science hubs later this year.
Over the next three years, Longfellow will bring online 65,000 square feet of lab space at the property, including 18,000 square feet by early 2021, continuing the growth of a strong life sciences cluster in an ideal location just minutes away from the Alewife T station.
The CambridgePark Drive campus will offer Vor and prospective tenants a combination of high-quality lab space with hospitality-infused amenities that is unique in Cambridge. Longfellow has redeveloped the property to create a dynamic live, work and play environment including the following renovations:
· installation of ground-floor lab infrastructure and a freight elevator at 100 CambridgePark;
· comprehensive exterior facade re-designs and interior refurnishings;
· a state-of-the-art conference center;
· a central green space that will serve as an outdoor recreational and gathering hub;
· new bike storage to accommodate an increase in cycling commuters;
· and a campus-wide mural program featuring paintings by local artists.
Lifestyle offerings at the campus include Mothership, a new restaurant and bar, and Revival, a popular neighborhood coffee shop, both operated by renowned Cambridge foodies Liza Shirazi and Steve “Nookie” Postal. Both destinations are part of Longfellow’s services and amenities package, Elevate, which aims to reduce work-life balance friction for tenants.
“Cambridge is one of the country’s key hubs for life sciences innovation and a critical market for Longfellow as we continue to expand our national portfolio,” said Jamie Peschel, co-founder and Managing Partner at Longfellow. “We’re encouraged by the continued strong demand we’ve seen in the region throughout the COVID-19 pandemic—a crisis that underscored our need to continue to invest in our communities and in life sciences—and we’re excited to have a future-focused company like Vor as the first life sciences tenant on the campus. The completion of the CambridgePark Drive project on schedule amid the turbulence of this year is an accomplishment, and the new space is generating considerable demand.”
“It has been tremendously helpful for us to work with a developer who has a deep understanding of our needs as a quickly growing biotech company in the life sciences hub of Cambridge,” said Nathan Jorgensen, Ph.D., Vor’s Chief Financial Officer. “CambridgePark Drive provides an attractive location in an active biotech campus, but most importantly will provide advanced lab space that will allow us to drive our research forward.”
With five million square feet available across key life science markets, Longfellow is expanding its portfolio across the country. In 2019, Longfellow deployed $500 million in equity to fund innovative life sciences projects. It has committed more than $1 billion to life science innovation and campuses.
Paul Delaney and Dan Collins from Cresa represented Vor in the deal and Mark Winters, Juliette Reiter, Dave Townsend, Catie Tilton and Brendan Daly of Newmark Knight Frank brokered the transaction on behalf of Longfellow.
