UM Life Science & Technology Park Inks 20,000 SF Lease

DaVita has finalized a 20,000 square foot lease in the UM Life Science & Technology Park’s first building.
In doing so, the national dialysis provider is strengthening its ties with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Division of Interventional Nephrology. DaVita, a Fortune 500 company, will occupy 20,000 square feet of office and clinical space within the fifth floor of UMLSTP.
The move takes occupancy to 75 percent at the Park’s first building, which consists of wet and dry labs, office space, and development suites. DaVita joins a growing roster of national and international science, healthcare and technology companies that call the Park home. These include Advanced Pharma CR, LLC, Community Blood Centers of South Florida, the University of Miami Tissue Bank, Binder Biomedical, Glycom, Cirle, Specialty Telehealth Services, and others.
“The addition of a company of DaVita’s caliber demonstrates our teams’ success in securing local, regional, national and international companies to Miami’s first biotech park,” said Bill Hunter, Regional Director for Wexford Science + Technology, the Park’s developer and owner, who completed the lease transaction on behalf of ownership. “DaVita’s presence strengthens the Park’s connectivity with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and its related institutes, especially the Division of Interventional Nephrology.”
DaVita currently operates 44 facilities in South Florida and is continuously expanding its services to meet the needs of the region’s patient population. Nationally, the company serves approximately 153,000 patients at 1,954 outpatient centers. A number of factors led DaVita to select the UM Life Science & Technology Park for its next South Florida center. These include the Park’s location within the Health District and close proximity to downtown Miami, its modern design and amenities, LEED Gold status, and access to public transportation.
“Our alignment with the University of Miami represents a critical link between a major clinical provider serving patients on a daily basis and the medical professionals engaged in advancing science,” said Bryan Davis, Regional Operations Director for DaVita. “This is an exciting opportunity to expand our access to patients, strengthen our relationships with the hospitals and providers in the Miami Health District within a world-class biotech building in the heart of Miami.”
Through DaVita’s alliance with the University of Miami, members of the school’s Division of Interventional Nephrology will be on hand to collect and analyze patient data that will contribute to ongoing studies related to kidney disease and other related ailments.
“The Miller School of Medicine, a pioneer of academic interventional nephrology in the United States and worldwide, will be providing vascular access care to the dialysis patients that DaVita serves,” says Dr. Loay Salman, director of Interventional Nephrology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology and Hypertension.
The Park’s first building encompasses the Miami Innovation Center, which offers shared offices and wet lab space designed for start-ups and early-stage companies, making it one of the few locations of its kind in the U.S. The building also offers street-level retail, including Balans Bar & Restaurant, Thea Pizzeria and Cafe, Subway Café, and the UPS Store.