Company envisions a biopark built with a 'life'

Rachel Brand, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, September 28, 2006

The Rocky Mountain News sat down with Forest City Enterprise's Michael Rosen, senior vice president of new business development, to learn how Forest City builds bioparks. The company has been chosen to develop a bioscience park at Fitzsimons.

What might be the Fitzsimons biopark's identity?

Some of my initial findings are that for treatments of, and research into, lung diseases you've got some of the best critical mass in the United States, and probably the world. National Jewish is rated by U.S. News and World Report as the No. 1 hospital for lung diseases, and the CU Health Sciences complex is rated No. 6. And there's a lot of interface between the two.

So Colorado can be a worldwide center for treatments of asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer and related diseases such as pulmonary hypertension.

What happens after you sketch out the diseases that Colorado's scientific community tackles best?

You begin to look at, what would get companies from around the world interested in doing research here or setting up shop here? You can look at cost of living or quality of life, but the university is critical. Major companies usually build next to major research centers where they have a vested interest.

Knowing the areas of expertise here, you can begin to target companies from around the world working in these disease areas.

The local philosophy has always been "grow your own." Are you advocating recruiting companies to settle here?

So, what's it going to take to make Denver a major life science hub? It's going to require a local community that springs out of universities, but also - because we are in a global market - bringing global companies here.

What factors will influence the type of biopark you build?

We are certainly aware of what the community is currently paying for biotech real estate, which is a lot less than Boston and San Francisco. That's going to drive the types of buildings we're going to do and what the market will bear.

In Boston and San Francisco, the key issues are density. You're building up because you don't have a lot of space. You've got 160 acres in this campus, so density is not an issue.

If you build it, will they come?

The answer, I think, is yes. When Forest City goes into a project like this, this is not a two-year, three-year, four-year project. It's a 20-plus-year project.

There currently is an incubator at Fitzsimons, and when companies need to grow, they've not been able to find anything in the immediate area.

So - yes - if we do build it, they will come, for at least part of this park. Longer term, demand will come from companies large and small, a range of companies - biotechs and medical device firms. Key will be contract research organizations and contract manufacturing organizations.

Why should a company relocate next to the Health Sciences Center?

Because of the university's research capabilities. The school has some marvelous core attributes that make it attractive to companies, such as its vivarium - a place for doing animal studies. Most vivariums of any quality get into pigs, dogs, rabbits, even primates. The university has an incredible vivarium, and its services are open to companies.

The university also has an 8-ton nuclear magnetic resonance machine, the only magnet of its type in the Rocky Mountain region. Right next door, they've got X-ray crystallography. And these are available for companies to use.

What do all of Forest City's bioparks have in common?

One, quality scientific buildings. Two, green space, so people can go outside, think, talk, interact. Three, residential so people who work in the area don't have to go far away. Fourth, retail - shops and things like that, so there's life.

Executives complain that the state doesn't provide enough economic incentives to attract companies. What's the impact?

Economic incentives are very important. I can tell you in Illinois, where I live, I've had to be very attuned because we're dealing with a number of international companies interested in coming into the region. They really want to know, up front, hey, what's on the table?

For international companies, incentives will be a key component.

brandr@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5269