New Life Science Facility to Be Built

Dallas County is slated to construct a new life sciences building.

The 75,000-square-foot facility will become the county’s new public health laboratory. The current laboratory is to test for major diseases, such as sexually transmitted diseases, communicable diseases, and tuberculosis.

The new lab will sit on a 1.6-acre lot the county previously acquired from TXRE Properties.

“The large-scale response required for COVID-19 demonstrated the need for the acquisition that will permit the continued support of the HHS efforts in response to the ongoing safety, containment, incident response to emerging and high consequence diseases that could operate at the peak of a crisis without hindering or being hindered by other County operations,” said officials in a court briefing, according to Dallas Magazine.

The new building will feature a build-to-suit, bio-safety level 3 facility, which allows employees to study infectious diseases, to address the needs of the county’s Health and Human Services department, according to a Dallas County Commissioner’s court briefing acquired by the Dallas Business Journal.

The DFW area was recently rated as one of the top markets for life sciences based on institutions, rapid growth, talent, and size. Growth for the life science industry continues to boom; recently, NexPoint Development Co. announced its intentions to transform an office space in Plano into a new facility.

Innovative Life Science, a nutraceutical gummy manufacturer, also recently celebrated the opening of its new Texas headquarters in McKinney on April 14.

“The new facility will provide the needed space to alleviate the inefficiencies at the current location, accommodate the growing needs and help mitigate short- and long-term maintenance expenses for maintaining and aging/soon-to-be a functionally obsolete facility operation, and provide the opportunity for further portfolio consolidation,” the briefing acquired by the Dallas Business Journal said.

The new facility is estimated to cost $52 million.

The design of the building will be led by Page Southerland Page, Inc., while Amber Infrastructure Group and Integrated Project Solutions will oversee construction.

Officials plan for this new facility to be finished by the end of 2025 and begin operation in early 2026.