Acquisition of future Houston-area cGMP life science facility closes

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 24, 2022 – JLL Capital Markets announced today that it has closed the acquisition of 9501 Lakeside, a future 76,000-square-foot, cell therapy manufacturing facility located in The Woodlands within the Houston, Texas, MSA.

JLL represented the tenant, Cellipont Bioservices, and procured the buyer, Vitrian, a fully integrated biomanufacturing and cGMP real estate company. NAI Partners represented Cellipont Bioservices in the subsequent lease negotiations with Vitrian for the property.

9501 Lakeside will feature state-of-the-art manufacturing, process development, assay development and testing capabilities and is scheduled to open within the first half of 2023. The opening of this site will expand upon Cellipont’s existing location in San Diego.

The property sits in Research Forest Lakeside (“RFL”) in The Woodlands, Texas. RFL is a planned development uniquely located on 77-wooded acres overlooking Lake Woodlands that features six office and four retail buildings, with future development of up to three additional class A office buildings totaling 760,000 square feet. The mixed-use site is home to a diverse line up of tenants including chemical, financial services, logistics, oil and gas exploration, LNG shipping and integrated energy companies. RFL’s location provides easy access to all of The Woodlands’ amenities, such as Market Street, The Woodlands Mall and The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Additionally, I-45 is less than a five-minute drive away.

The JLL Capital Markets Investment Advisory team representing the tenant was led by Directors Dave Baker and Brian Buglione and Managing Director Kevin McConn. The NAI Partners leasing team was led by Zach Leger and Holden Rushing.

“JLL is honored to have represented Cellipont, a best-in-class cell therapy CDMO, in achieving this critical milestone in their growth trajectory,” said Baker. “Strong investor interest in this opportunity reflected the strength of Cellipont as a tenant, as well as projected growth in the cell therapy manufacturing space, and investors’ positive reception of the growing Houston life science market. We are excited to watch the future successes of Cellipont and Vitrian together.”

JLL Capital Markets is a full-service global provider of capital solutions for real estate investors and occupiers. The firm's in-depth local market and global investor knowledge delivers the best-in-class solutions for clients — whether investment and sales advisory, debt advisory, equity advisory or a recapitalization. The firm has more than 3,000 Capital Markets specialists worldwide with offices in nearly 50 countries.

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Cellipont Bioservices is a privately-held cell therapy CDMO based near San Diego, California with more than 15 years of experience in the development and small-to-large batch manufacturing of cell therapies. Our team has deep technical expertise and has been recognized by customers and partners for its ability to productively grow challenging cell types. Our culture is customer-centric with a focus on partnering, flexibility and responsiveness. For more information, please visit www.cellipont.com.

Vitrian is the first fully integrated real estate company dedicated exclusively to biomanufacturing and cGMP facilities. Its mission is to foster the next generation of drugs and therapies by accelerating facility procurement and development, improving the capitalization process, and building capacity for future growth through civic engagement and workforce development. For more information, please visit www.vitrian.com.

NAI Partners was founded and is headquartered in Houston and has offices in San Antonio and Austin; offers the geographic expertise to complete real estate transactions throughout the state; and can leverage the power of the NAI Global network to arrange deals in any location around the world. NAI Partners employs more than 180 real estate professionals, and arranges more transactions than any of its competitors, completing over 700 commercial lease and sale arrangements every year. NAI Partners is a full-service firm providing client solutions for Office, Industrial, Retail, Life Sciences, and Multifamily product types across Brokerage Services, which includes Tenant Representation, Project Leasing, Investment Sales, and Land Sales; Investor Services, which includes Property Management, Project Management, and Facilities Management; Valuation Services, which includes Valuation & Advisory, Property Tax Consulting, Institutional Fund Valuation, and Litigation & Expert Witness Testimony; and Project Services, which includes Construction Management and Space Management. NAI Partners is the top Houston-based full-service commercial real estate firm on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America; the 4th-largest Houston-Area Commercial Real Estate Brokerage and #1 Mover of Square Feet among leasing and sales brokerages in Houston per the Houston Business Journal; the only commercial real estate firm on the Houston Business Journal’s Mid-Market 50 list; a top 3 largest San Antonio Commercial Real Estate Brokerage per the San Antonio Business Journal; and a top 20 Property Management Firm by square feet under management in Houston per the Houston Business Journal. NAI Partners annually ranks among the Houston Chronicle’s Top Workplaces, and the Houston Business Journal’s and Austin Business Journal’s Best Places to Work companies; and is among the University of Houston’s Cougar 100 Fastest-Growing Companies. Visit us on the web at www.naipartners.com. NAI Partners’ holding company is Partners Real Estate Company (“Partners”), which also owns real estate investment and development platform Partners Capital. Visit Partners on the web at www.partnersrec.com.