Plans Unveiled for Phase 2 of Life Sciences and Technology Development in New Brunswick, New Jersey

SJP Properties and New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO) have unveiled plans to develop H-2, the second phase of HELIX Health + Life Science Exchange in downtown New Brunswick, New Jersey. With a total cost of $731 million, HELIX is the largest investment in life sciences and medical education in New Jersey’s history, and representative of the state’s life sciences sector and demand for accessible lab space. Plans for H-2 call for a mixed-use building yielding 600,000 square feet of build-to-suit lab and office space. HDR is the lead architect and JLL will serve as the H-2’s leasing agent.

“New Jersey is one of the most important regions in the country for the life sciences industry with New Brunswick emerging as a hotbed for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in recent years,” said Steve Pozycki, CEO of SJP Properties. “As more innovators enter the region, the location of their research and development facilities will be of paramount importance. With a prime position directly across the street from two major rail lines, and situated within commuting distance of both New York City and Philadelphia, HELIX will provide exceptional access to workforce talent, enabling its future tenants to attract professionals from both cities’ life sciences and technology industries.”

The project, which is being built in three phases, sits on a four-acre site near Rutgers University and the New Brunswick train station.

The first phase of HELIX, H-1, is currently under construction and will comprise 574,000 square feet including the New Jersey Innovation HUB, the new home of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and a Rutgers translational research facility equipped with a variety of labs to advance the work of 80 research teams and put into practice Rutgers Health innovations that will improve individual and public health. Core Partners for the New Jersey Innovation HUB include NJ Economic Development Authority, RWJBarnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, Middlesex County, Rutgers University, Tel Aviv University and Atlantic Technological University of Galway, Ireland. H-1’s ground floor will feature amenities and kiosks accessible to the public, including a 10,000-square-foot market hall with food options and a 3,000-square-foot restaurant that opens onto a 70-foot-wide plaza.

H-3, the final phase of HELIX, is proposed as a 42-story mixed-use building that includes additional office space and 220 units of housing.

“We are establishing the only ecosystem in the county where academic researchers, private sector researchers, entrepreneurs, medical students, and educators will co-locate in an environment of discovery and collaboration, where creative collisions can occur,” said Christopher Paladino, president of DEVCO.

HELIX will be adjacent to the New Brunswick train station, expected to receive a $49 million renovation. Headquarters and regional offices of several major health, pharmaceutical and life sciences companies including Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Ascendia Pharmaceuticals are also in proximity. In addition to being adjacent to the Rutgers University campus, HELIX will also be within an hour’s drive of Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University.

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