BRONX, NY (May 2022) — Joseph Simone of Simone Development Companies says Absci’s recent announcement that it will open an artificial-intelligence research lab in New York City is another sign that start-ups want to be close to young talent conducting noteworthy research.

“Institutions like Columbia University have graduate and doctoral students conducting cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence, life sciences and oncology, so companies like Absci need to be where the talent lives,” said Joseph Simone, president of Simone Development Companies.

The Vancouver, Washington-based Absci recently announced that it will open its research lab at the Carnegie Hall Tower in Manhattan. The location puts Absci’s lab a short subway ride from Columbia University, Google, and the Samsung AI Center.

“Growing companies want to be where the talent lives and studies. The need for proximity to talent is one reason why Simone Development Companies is enthusiastic about our Hutchinson Metro Center, which is a short walk from a major medical research center—the Einstein College of Medicine,” said Patricia Simone, Principal and President of Simone Management Group.

Simone Development Companies is in the process of expanding its Hutchinson Metro Center campus to include life-science-focused laboratories for medical research. The campus will sit next to a new Metro-North train station that will soon provide commuters direct access in 25 minutes to Penn Station and New York City’s other innovation corridors.

The research excellence and entrepreneurial vision of faculty at the Einstein College of Medicine contributed to the recent announcement that the faculty will receive two 2022 XSeed Awards to advance promising basic science findings that have start-up potential. As the Einstein faculty’s research progresses, they will build relationships with investment groups and licensing partners to further develop their discoveries.

“The Hutchinson Metro Center is ready to provide space to any of the start-ups launched by the new research coming out of the Einstein College of Medicine,” said Mrs. Simone.

BRONX, NY (May 2022) — Joseph Kelleher, president of Simone Metro Properties, was honored for his ongoing support of Regional Aid for Interim Needs Total Care, Inc. (R.A.I.N.) at the Bronx-based service provider’s Sixth Annual Golf Outing on May 3rd at the Leewood Golf Club in Westchester County. For the past 58 years, R.A.I.N. has offered compassionate, quality care through a continuum of services for people with disabilities of all ages, including the operation of full service older adult centers; delivery of over 1,600 meals to homebound elderly; transportation services for medical appointments; home care; benefits and entitlements assistance; case management and Alzheimer’s caregiver support services; and operation of the Cucina Dolores Mobile Food Kitchen program. Pictured with Mr. Kelleher (left) at the event is R.A.I.N. President and CEO Anderson Torres, PhD, LCSW-R.

Mr. Kelleher has been a long-time supporter of R.A.I.N. He joined Simone in 2003 to direct the leasing and management of the Hutchinson Metro Center, the company’s highly successful mixed-use complex in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, featuring 1.4 million square feet of Class A office, medical, retail and educational space, a Marriott hotel and top-notch amenities including a café, conference center, pharmacy, fitness center, car wash and more in a 42-acre landscaped campus setting. Kelleher also serves as President of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and as an Adult Leader for The Boy Scouts of America.

Simone Metro Properties is a division of Simone Development Companies, a full-service real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition and development of healthcare, office, retail, industrial and residential properties. Headquartered in the Bronx, the privately held company owns and manages more than 7 million square feet across 130 properties in the Bronx, Westchester County, Queens, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut.

BRONX, NY (April 2022) — Joseph Simone of Simone Development Companies says that vertical cluster design will be one of his firm’s life-sciences development strategies in urban settings.

“Vertical cluster design is an ideal solution for the dense urban and suburban regions where our company operates,” said Joe Simone, President of Simone Development Companies. “Particularly in New York City, real estate developers interested in building life sciences labs and offices must design in very limited acreage, which means the only solution is building tall towers.”

Vertical cluster design is a concept promoted by architecture firms like the Boston- and New York City-based SGA, which has developed a 24-story, 750,000-square-foot tower for densely populated cities like San Francisco or London. The vertical prototype takes a horizontal life-sciences campus and stacks it in a tower format while maintaining essential collaboration spaces.

Towers employing vertical cluster design have steel superstructures with 33-foot structural bays and 15-foot, floor-to-floor heights to provide ceiling heights necessary for the mechanical needs of laboratories. Air handler needs, power requirements, gas storage, plumbing, and HVAC requirements also affect the design of the building.

Simone Development Companies’ proposed Hutchinson Metro Center South Campus is a suitable location for vertical cluster design towers. The 33-acre multi-use South Campus will eventually offer 1.9 million-square-feet of facilities for business and medical offices, education, research and development, retail and hospitality.

“We have watched the life-sciences and biotech boom with excitement about the possibilities for our new South Campus,” said Patricia Simone, Principal and President of Simone Management Group. “Our Bronx location is ideally situated a short walk from a major research hospital and next to a future commuter train station that will eventually offer the east Bronx a 20-minute ride to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.”

The South Campus site is adjacent to the 42-acre Hutchinson Metro Center North Campus, a successful urban redevelopment that includes 1250 Waters Place — a 280,000-square-foot Class A medical office building fully leased to Montefiore Medical Center’s ambulatory care center. The 11-story building includes 12 operating rooms and four procedure rooms and it was the first “bedless hospital” in the New York Metropolitan Region.