Biopharma company signs lease in Bridgewater

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals is already based in Somerset County, but it’s making the move from Basking Ridge to Bridgewater.

SJP Properties announced Sept. 12 it signed a lease with the biopharmaceutical company for 20,000 square feet of office space at the Somerset Corporate Center 1.

The New York City-based firm said its project and construction management division, SJP Project Solutions, will complete a custom build-out of the new space to accommodate Lexicon‘s unique needs. The Texas-based pharmaceutical company develops disease treatments using gene science that is based on Nobel Prize-winning tech.

Lexicon is set to occupy the new space no later than the first quarter of 2023, according to SJP, joining the likes of other tenants at the complex, including Qualcomm, Oracle, Cognizant, iconectiv, Merrill Lynch, Messer, Life Time Work, Bausch Health, Mazda, Caliber and Kering Eyewear.

Savills Vice Chairman and Rutherford Branch Manager Gregg Najarian and Rutherford Corporate Managing Director Slava Vaynberg represented Lexicon in the transaction.

“Somerset Corporate Center is perfectly situated to attract top talent from the surrounding area given its unparalleled highway access,” said Alexander Erdos, senior vice president – Leasing & Marketing, at SJP Properties, in a statement. Lexicon currently occupies 110 Allen Road in Basking Ridge. Which offers prime access to Interstate 78, but cannot contend with the accessibility the Bridgewater office boasts.

Somerset Corporate Center is comprised of five Class A buildings – for a total 1.2 million square feet – surrounding a landscaped park. In addition to Interstate 78, the location also offers access to Routes 202/206 and 22, in all directions, as well as Interstate 287.

“Labor is key for established life science companies such as Lexicon, and they also recognize the importance of ownership quality as it correlates directly to tenant experience,” Erdos added.

The complex offers a shuttle to the nearby Somerville train station, which provides service to Manhattan via a transfer at Newark Penn Station.

SJP’s repositioning of the property included the integration of lifestyle amenities to transform the campus into a work-play-stay destination. Among those features: a 170,000-square-foot Life Time athletic facility, Tommy’s Tavern + Tap restaurant, and a 150-room AC Hotel by Marriott that features rooftop bar, restaurant and lounge The Bradford. Also nearby is the 1 million square-foot Bridgewater Commons Mall.