A new science park has opened in New York City, the office of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced yesterday. The Alexandria Center for Life Science is the first of three buildings in what will comprise a new cluster on Manhattan's East Side. The 15-floor building measures 310,000 square feet and will house firms such as Eli Lilly, ImClone, Kadmon Pharmaceuticals, and Firmenich.

"New York City has all the makings of a major center for commercial life science - an unparalleled work force, top academic and medical institutions, and prime access to investment capital - but we've lacked sufficient state-of-the-art commercial lab space to capitalize on those advantages. The new Alexandria Center for Life Science is addressing that need in a major way," Mayor Bloomberg said.

New York City owns the three-acre site that will ultimately include a 1.1 million-square-foot campus. The city contributed $13.4 million in capital funds for the project, while the state contributed $27 million for infrastructure. The Partnership for New York City's economic development branch will give $15 million for tenant improvements, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration will offer another $2 million.

The core and shell building designs and construction are LEED Silver certified.