If there is a field of dreams in Baltimore these days, it might be 4MLK, the gleaming new eight-story, 250,000-square-foot lab and office building that stands at the gateway of the University of Maryland's life science and technology center, BioPark.
When it is fully leased, 4MLK hopes to house the largest cluster of bioscience companies in the greater Baltimore region, bringing 1,000 jobs to the city and doubling the size of the workforce now employed by nearly three dozen companies at the center. It's an ambition that earned the project a 2025 CoStar Impact Award as judged by real estate professionals in the market.
4MLK, its name a nod to its location at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and West Baltimore Street, offers a fresh update on lab buildings by incorporating a host of collaboration spaces, public art installations and flexible workspace, and services designed for start-ups and growing companies. The development team at Wexford Science & Technology even took pains to preserve an adjacent circa 1910 firehouse known as Engine 38 Poppleton, a historic structure constructed in response to the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904. Discussions are underway with restaurateurs to set up shop in the space.
"Not only is this a new building in downtown Baltimore that is adding to the tenant base of the city, but completion of this building gives Baltimore the ability to retain life science and healthcare companies who may have gone elsewhere in Maryland...The developer saw a need and acted on it securing Baltimore's reputation as a place where companies can grow and commit to staying where they got their start," said Terri Harrington, founder of Harrington Commercial Real Estate Services and a judge in the Impact Award competition.
About the project: The developer of 4MLK, Wexford Science & Technology, has made the building its home as an anchor tenant. The University of Maryland School of Medicine also plans to house its new Edward & Jennifer St. John Center for Translational Engineering and Medicine in the building. 4MLK is the latest addition to the University of Maryland, Baltimore's medical center campus. BioPark now encompasses 14 acres and nearly 1.2 million square feet of lab, office, healthcare and community-oriented space across seven buildings.
What the judges said: "Not only is this a new building in downtown Baltimore adding to the tenant base of the city, but completion of this building gives Baltimore the ability to retain life science and healthcare companies who may have gone elsewhere in Maryland as the city was unable to accommodate growing need in the life sciences sector," said Terri Harrington, founder of Harrington Commercial Real Estate Services.
"This helps the transformation of the West Side. Developing in the city, particularly outside of the sexy areas of Harbor East and Harbor Point, is a vote in favor of the city at large, and worthy of recognition," said Art Putzel, principal at Trout Daniel & Associates.
"Lab office developments in the country's largest bio-tech markets have been under pressure for a couple of years, and many have stopped altogether. Getting this one over the line and ready for leasing is a big deal," said Chris LeBarton, director of research for KLNB in Baltimore.
UPDATED They made it happen: The development team at Wexford Science & Technology included CEO Ted Russell, General Counsel Danielle Howarth, Caroline Moore, senior vice president for the Southeast region, Gregg Herlong, vice president of development, Steve Zullo, senior construction project manager, Tracy Lo, construction project manager, Assistant Development Director Brandon Nickoles, Senior Regional Asset Manager Chip Benhoff, Sami Proctor, senior director for marketing, and Mark VanderZyl, director for Connect Labs Baltimore.