The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) have launched BioBoost, a program intended to provide funding to expand biomanufacturing and medtech advanced manufacturing operations across Massachusetts. Some $60 million in funding requests came into the program, which has a $3.5-million budget.

Largest of the five grants awarded was $1.4 million to Woburn-based Terrestrial. The funding will support the buildout of what is reportedly the world’s first commercial-scale therapeutic microarray patch manufacturing headquarters. Other grants went to Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, RoslinCT, Holobiome and Theromics Inc.

“Expanding manufacturing capacity is essential to sustaining growth in Massachusetts’ life sciences ecosystem,” said Undersecretary of Business Strategies Zenobia Moochhala. “These investments will help companies move faster, create high-quality jobs, and build a more resilient production pipeline across the Commonwealth.”  

Since 2008, the MLSC has deployed more than $1.1 billion in Massachusetts through grants, loans, capital infrastructure investments, tax incentives and workforce development programs

Advance Realty Investors has launched Continuum, a purpose-built life science and advanced manufacturing campus planned for up to 1.1 million square feet of new construction, set across 60-plus acres along U.S. Route 202/206 in Bridgewater, Somerset County, NJ. JLL has been exclusively engaged to lead leasing for the campus, which offers build-to-suit opportunities tailored to a range of users across the life sciences and advanced manufacturing spectrum. 

With an approved site plan and Phase I construction underway, Continuum is advancing toward delivery. The project is supported by a long-term PILOT agreement with the Township of Bridgewater. 

“Continuum reflects a fundamental shift in how research & development environments are conceived and delivered,” said Peter Cocoziello, president and CEO of Advance Realty Investors. “Rather than isolated facilities, today’s users require connected ecosystems that support the full lifecycle of innovation, from discovery through production and distribution. Continuum is designed to meet that need, bringing together R&D, advanced manufacturing, and logistics within a single, newly constructed campus environment that enhances efficiency, accelerates timelines, and supports collaboration at scale.” 

The Walnut Street Joint Venture, comprised of Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative, Inc., the Peabody Companies and Onyx Group Development, has opened a lottery for Walnut Knoll, a new 141-unit affordable housing community. The project is intended for persons aged 55 and older and is located at 55 Walnut St. in Foxborough, MA.  There is a local preference for those who live or work in Foxborough.

Building 1 is slated to open in September and has 61 apartment homes. Building 2 will follow in November with 80 homes. 

“Walnut Knoll represents another step forward in our mission to provide exceptional affordable housing solutions for seniors,” said Melissa Fish-Crane, principal and CEO of The Peabody Companies. “We are proud to partner with AHSC and Onyx Group on this project.”

The lottery date is yet to be determined. Details will follow at a later date, according to the JV.

 Gilbane Development Company broke ground on Pique, a new purpose-built student housing development located at 2587 Telegraph Ave in Berkeley, CA, four blocks from the University of California Berkeley.

Pique will transform the former Buffalo Exchange store into an eight-story residential building offering 52 units and 485 beds of purpose-built student housing. Scheduled for completion in summer 2026, the project includes 2,900 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

“We are focused on making every inch count with efficiency, privacy, and functionality at the core of the design, driving innovation that caters to the needs of Berkeley students at an affordable price point,” said Christian Cerria, development director at Gilbane Development Company. “Pique is the first student housing project in our portfolio to offer 100% of the units with balconies, bedroom/bathroom parity, bed/vanity parity, and split bathrooms that create an environment promoting privacy and mental well-being.”

CenterSquare Investment Management has announced a joint venture partnership with one of the country’s largest state pension funds. The joint venture is focused on institutionalizing the niche Essential Service Retail (ESR) sector and seeks to acquire 30 to 40 properties by late 2026.

CenterSquare’s ESR strategy invests in e-commerce-resistant, high-quality service retail properties that meet specific investment criteria at attractive pricing. Utilizing a data-driven approach, CenterSquare’s ESR team identifies and invests in neighborhood shopping centers located in high-growth markets.

These centers offer essential services, including food and beverage, fitness, beauty, health and medical, and business services to the public. ESR tenants are regional and national brands whose customers must physically visit the store to consume the service or product.

CenterSquare’s existing ESR portfolio currently spans 50 properties across the United States. With this new programmatic joint venture, CenterSquare will seek to nearly double the size of its ESR portfolio over the next two years.

RXR has broken down on its first project within the 1,100-acre Veridea mixed-use community in Apex. Phase I of Veridea will include approximately 1,500 multifamily units, 1,100 single-family homes and townhomes built by Lennar Homebuilders, 150,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, and commercial space, 213,000 square feet of industrial, and a new 340,000 square foot campus for Wake Tech Community College. 

The community is expected to bring more than 2,300 annual jobs to Apex over the next decade of development.  Samet Corporation began construction of Phase I of the $3 billion project, with major clearing, site work and infrastructure work.  

Veridea is located two miles south of historic downtown Apex. Upon completion, the mixed-use development is envisioned to include up to 8,000 residential units, up to 3.5 million square feet of retail, hospitality, and civic space, up to 12 million square feet of commercial space, a new Wake County Public School System elementary school and the newest campus for Wake Technical Community College.  

Greystar Real Estate Partners broke ground on a two-building student housing development at Merrimack College. The project, a result of a public-private partnership, is composed of 540 beds on the school’s North Andover, MA campus. The new residence halls represent the largest increase in Merrimack’s on-campus housing stock since 2015. 

Upon completion in Fall 2026, the two four-story residence halls designed by Cube 3 will deliver 540 new beds to Merrimack’s campus. The first residence hall will contain traditional-style student housing, totaling 79,600 square feet and 351 beds. The adjacent 61,300-square-foot residence hall will offer 189 beds through suite-style units. 

“Greystar is proud to support Merrimack College with new on-campus living options for students,” said Gary Kerr, senior managing director of development at Greystar. “For many, communal living is a quintessential aspect of the college experience, and these buildings will offer attractive housing that will foster learning and growth.” 

Landmark Properties has launched The Standard at Eugene, a 703-bed, 247-unit student housing development at 435 E. Broadway in Eugene, Oregon.

The Standard at Eugene is Landmark’s first student housing community near the University of Oregon, just steps from the campus and a quick walk from the Market District and downtown Eugene. The property has more than 265,000 square feet of residential space in a mix of studio to five-bedroom units.

Opening to residents in September 2024, the seven-story residential community was designed by Ankrom Moisan Architects, with Landmark Construction, the in-house construction arm of Landmark Properties, serving as general contractor.

The community is Landmark Properties’ second development in Oregon. Landmark delivered The Retreat at Corvallis, near Oregon State University, in the Fall of 2015. Additionally, Landmark acts as a third-party manager for Sierra Student Apartments, which is also near Oregon State University.

WinnCompanies has begun work on the Residences on Lincoln Square, a $51-million project to transform the historic Worcester Boys Club building and property into 80 affordable apartment homes for adults 55 and older.

The WinnDevelopment effort will employ adaptive reuse techniques to preserve and renovate the 94-year-old building as 16 apartment homes and a variety of community spaces, while erecting a new five-story apartment building alongside it to house 64 new apartments. The two buildings will be connected on the ground floor by a single-story glass walkway. Completion is expected in the spring of 2026.

“Our legacy of development in Worcester dates back a half century to the company’s founding when Coes Pond Village became one of our first new construction communities,” said WinnCompanies CEO Gilbert Winn. “Having acquired this property in 2019, we couldn’t be happier to move forward with a development that will renew this historic structure and deliver much-needed affordable housing for seniors.”

Puyallup Tribal Enterprises (PTE) has announced the creation of the Tribe’s own construction company, Tahoma Construction Services (TCS), to handle the tribe’s growing portfolio of construction projects.

TCS will specialize in commercial and residential projects. One of its first will be to act as general contractor for a Tribal housing complex with 45 townhomes and 10 single-family homes. The housing project is funded by the Tribe’s own funds.

“TCS will not only provide jobs for Tribal members and give the Tribe the ability to build its own projects, but it is also another opportunity for revenue diversification as TCS plans to expand and start bidding on local projects,” said Matt Wadhwani, the Tribe’s Financial Officer and PTE CEO.

Puyallup Tribal Enterprises is the parent company of Tahoma Construction Services, and shares the same leadership team, reporting up to the Puyallup Tribal Council. “The broader reach is to be a profitable company that provides long term construction jobs for Tribal members,” said Kyle Eley, PTE’s COO.