Agilent Breaks Ground on $725M Denver-Area Life Science Project

Agilent Expansion, Frederick, Colo. Image courtesy of Agilent Technologies Inc.

Agilent Technologies Inc. has just broken ground on an expansion project at its Denver-area facility in Frederick, Colo. With a $725 million investment, the life science company will enlarge its footprint with the addition of an approximately 200,000-square-foot building, allowing for a 100 percent increase in its capacity to manufacture nucleic acids therapeutics.

The new facility will support two additional manufacturing lines, or Train C and Train D. “We have a large and diversified customer base, so we have good line of sight to demand even out to ’26 and ’27. So it’s not like we’re trying to build something and go look for the business,” Mike McMullen, president & CEO of Agilent Technologies Inc., said during the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on January 10, 2023. “So, we know the business is going to be there.”

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Agilent’s expansion endeavor will take shape at the company’s existing site at 7051 Eagle Blvd. in Eagle Business Park, near the Interstate 25/Highway 52 interchange. The project will include the addition of approximately 64,400 square feet of manufacturing space, 86,400 square feet for mechanical rooms and 26,800 square feet of office space, as noted in a January 2023 traffic impact study of the project.

The proposal also calls for a 1,100-square-foot increase in drum storage as well as a proposed 7,000-square-foot tank farm. Additionally, to help accommodate the approximately 160 new employees that will be hired as part of the expansion, Agilent will develop a surface parking lot on a separate parcel at 7400 Eagle Blvd.

Turner Construction Co. is serving as general contractor for Agilent’s project, while Fluor Corp., in conjunction with CRB, is providing architecture, engineering and procurement services. The team will incorporate cutting-edge engineering enhancements in the development process, including advanced automation and solvent capturing, in an effort to expedite completion.

Hub status on the rise

Agilent’s ability to expand at its Frederick hub puts the company in a superior position to most tenants that are seeking life sciences space in the Denver-Boulder area. Over the last few years, barriers to entry in the U.S. top life sciences markets have rendered the Denver-Boulder area, which is known for its pool of highly educated talent, a magnet for businesses seeking to expand or relocate.

As a result, the Denver-Boulder market has maintained 1 million-plus square feet of active life sciences requirements for the last two years and is experiencing a substantial supply/demand imbalance, according to a fourth quarter 2022 report by CBRE.

For its part, Agilent owns the majority of its space. As of the close of Fiscal Year 2022, the company owned 4.7 million square feet of the total 6.7 million square feet it occupies around the world. If all goes as planned, the company’s newly expanded site in Frederick will reach completion in 2026.