Transwestern Gets Approval for Bay Area Life Science Project

Axiom Point. Rendering courtesy of Transwestern

The City of Vacaville’s Planning Commission has approved plans for Transwestern’s Axiom Point, a 375,000-square-foot biomanufacturing campus in Vacaville, Calif.

The project team includes DGA Architects, overseeing the overall design process, and DPR Construction, serving as general contractor.

Set to take shape in Vaca Valley Business Park, on a 22.4-acre site, the two-phase development is expected to attract life science jobs to the area. Through August this year, an estimated 137,707 unique life science jobs have been posted on a national level, a 28 percent increase from the same period last year, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Vaca Valley Business Park is home to a variety of life science companies, including Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, RxDNova, Agenus and Polaris. The development is situated at the junction of Interstates 80 and 105, in proximity to San Francisco, Sacramento, Calif., and the University of California’s Berkeley and Davis campuses, which provide easy access to top talent across the life science and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Adjacent to Solano Community College’s Vacaville campus and home to nonprofit California Biomanufacturing Center Inc., Vaca Valley Business Park includes more than 240 acres for development and has been operating since Alza’s arrival at the site back in 1987.

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Bay Area’s life science sector poised for growth

Axiom Point. Rendering courtesy of Transwestern

Approved in less than 90 days, Axiom Point is the first life science campus to take advantage of the city’s Biotechnology and Advanced Manufacturing Initiative that aims to process planning entitlements in 100 days or less.

In a prepared statement, Transwestern Managing Partner Fred Knapp said that the quick turnaround supports the city’s initiative to make biomanufacturing the foundation of its economic development plan. City of Vacaville Mayor Ron Rowlett added that the city has the land, infrastructure and workforce that the biotechnology industry requires for further growth.

According to a recent Transwestern report, the Bay Area’ life science sector has been rapidly expanding despite economic volatility, with 4.2 million square feet of medical office space under construction year-to-date as of third quarter, marking a 68.7 percent increase from one year ago, and the highest level on record.

With a tightening vacancy and strong development pipeline, the Bay Area continues to experience a historically high level of demand for life science space.

Axiom Point has been designed to accommodate a variety of users, including biomanufacturing, laboratory research and development, medical device manufacturing, food science, agricultural technology and health-care companies.