So, like, apparently, there’s a bunch of empty lab space in the Greater Boston area. And get this – it’s not just a little bit empty, we’re talking like one-third of the lab space is up for grabs. Crazy, right? Like, who even knew there was that much lab space to begin with?
The Boston Planning and Development Agency is set to certify nearly 1 million square feet of new lab space in the city. Some of it is in this fancy new research facility for Eli Lilly & Co., which they built without even having a tenant lined up. But don’t worry, they eventually found someone to take the whole space. Good for them.
But then there’s this other building in the Seaport District that used to be the headquarters of Au Bon Pain. They built a lab and amenities building there, but Ginkgo Bioworks, the tenant who was supposed to move in, backed out. And don’t even get me started on the $545 million lab in Boston Landing that’s opening up empty, except for a coffeeshop on the first floor. Priorities, right?
So yeah, the lab market in Greater Boston is kind of a mess right now. Lots of empty buildings, not enough demand to fill them. And with Trump cutting funding for biomedical research, things are looking even shakier. But hey, at least we still have some tenants looking for space, right? Silver linings and all that. Who knows what the future holds for all this empty lab space.
