Polaris Pharmaceuticals buys 15 acres in Solano County for biomanufacturing expansion
Polaris Pharmaceuticals Vacaville has purchased 15 acres in Vacaville, the second major commitment to the northern Solano County from the biotechnology and advanced manufacturing sector since the city’s unveiling of a focused outreach to attract such employers.
The expansion land, located in Vaca Valley Business Park, is set to be a biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility for the San Diego-based company, part of the Polaris Group family.
“We are excited to expand our manufacturing and process research capabilities in Vacaville,” said Chris Huxsoll, senior vice president of operations of Polaris Pharmaceuticals. “The City of Vacaville has been a great partner over the years, and that was one of the key considerations in our decision to expand operations here.”
Polaris Pharmaceuticals already has 28,000-square-foot facility in Vacaville.
In October 2020, the city announced its plan to expand on its cluster of biomanufacturing companies to create a hub for such companies, identify 300 acres available for such projects. That could result in as much as 3 million additional square feet of production facilities, the city estimated.
Last year, Agenus Inc. of Lexington, Massachusetts, purchased 120 acres in that area, with plans to build a 72-acre biomanufacturing campus.
“We will work with Polaris through our Biotechnology Fast Track permitting program to get this new facility up and operational as quickly as possible, and we will continue to connect them to the resources they need to be successful in Vacaville,” said Mayor Ron Rowlett in the announcement.
Don Burrus, city director of economic development services, told the Business Journal he is in talks with several companies in the industry, including a Texas biotech, about local opportunities.
“I hope to be able to make additional announcements this year,“ he said.
Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction and real estate. Before the Business Journal, he wrote for Bay City News Service in San Francisco. He has a degree from Walla Walla University. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256.
