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Chicago & Midwest  + Downtown  + Healthcare  | 

Burgeoning Life Sciences Sector Could Help Reshape Chicago Real Estate Post-Pandemic

Chicago’s burgeoning life sciences sector may help reshape the city’s commercial real estate coming out of the pandemic, the Chicago Business Journal reported. “I don’t think I’ve seen the level of activity and energy that we’ve seen here over the past two years,” John Conrad, president and CEO of the Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization, told the Business Journal

The city’s existing infrastructure is a draw, including nearly one million square feet of lab space in development or already delivered. Chicago is also home to several research universities, a growing talent pool and less expensive real estate than either coast. The life sciences sector set a new local record for venture capital in the fourth quarter of 2022. 

As a result, JLL’s Max Zwolan told the Business Journal, “We’re seeing more active groups in the market right now and more sizable deals that are going to get signed this year.” 

Pictured: Sterling Bay’s 2430 N. Halsted.

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JLL's Zwolan

About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

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