Image courtesy of Unilever
International consumer products giant Unilever plans to drop $270 million on the latest addition to downtown New Haven.
The company announced plans last week to take space in a new, 4-story R&D facility at 2 Church St. on the last remaining downtown parcel leveled by the post-war construction of the Route 34 mini-highway.
The site is next to the 100 and 101 College St. lab towers developed by Winstanley Enterprises in the last decade, the company Unillever will be turning to to build its new building, the New Haven Independent reported. Other tenants for the R&D building will include the Quantum CT state-backed quantum computing research center.
The exact square footage of Unilever’s planned lab was not immediately available.
The move leaves just one in a series of New Haven bioscience buildings planned during the 2019-2022 life science real estate boom without an anchor tenant: the 10th Square development from developers Ancora and Spinnaker Real Estate Partners. Yale University pulled back from plans to lease space in the tower last year.
Much of New Haven’s non-housing commercial real estate growth in the last 20 years has come from medical and life science companies spinning off of Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital, making Unilever’s new research hub a departure from the norm.
In its announcement, the company said the 2 Church St. facility “will advance how Unilever’s teams of scientists and experts push the boundaries of the fundamental differentiators that make the company’s brands distinct and products desirable: superior science, aesthetics and sensorials.”
The company said it was drawn to New Haven by the growing AI and quantum computing research centers in the city and its existing bioscience talent: “All R&D capabilities — including formulation, fragrance creation, packaging design and consumer insights — will be housed under one roof. By co-locating every stage of the innovation cycle, the center will enable deeper collaboration to further accelerate product development.”
In addition, New Haven’s location close to New York City and on the Northeast Corridor train line to Boston would give Unilever’s scientists “access to dozens of world-class universities, hundreds of companies and some of the brightest minds in the world…The center will enhance Unilever scientists’ use of cutting-edge neuroscience to create the next generation of desirable products, connecting sensory attributes like texture, fragrance and bioactives with emotional, behavioral and wellness responses.”
“New Haven gets us to the future faster. Our Global Innovation Center is where we’ll innovate at the intersection of science, technology and culture — for the U.S. and for the world. We will build on our deep heritage of innovation to develop the next generation of brands and products that people love,” Unilever Herrish Patel said in a statement. “As part of Unilever’s global network of innovation hubs, the center will connect closely with our other leading locations worldwide, sharing technology, insights, and breakthrough ideas to accelerate innovation at scale.”
Around 300 people will work at the 2 Church St. facility, which is set to replace Unilever’s existing R&D facility in Trumbull, which it’s operated sine 1972.
“Unilever’s decision to make this investment in New Haven reaffirms Connecticut’s global reputation as a leader in innovation, research and development, and discovery,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement provided by Unilever. “This innovation center will serve as an important foundational piece for this burgeoning hub that will not only strengthen New Haven’s existing tech centers but will also boost our innovation ecosystem statewide. I am glad we have Unilever as a valued member of Connecticut’s growing business community, and I look forward to this company continuing to succeed here for many years to come.”
