The FRA has been seeking a partnership with a private developer to accelerate the development of the bioscience park. After an extensive selection process and interviews, it shortlisted two candidates--Cleveland-based Forest City and the Denver Tech Center/Meridian International Business Park, which are owned by London-basedP&O.

Jill Farnham, acting executive director of the FRA, says she is delighted with the quality of the proposals. If a definitive agreement cannot be reached with Forest City, the FRA will pursue discussions with DTC/Meridian. Forest City is the developer of the nearby Stapleton, which is considered the largest infill project in the nation near a major city. So far, only 85,000 sf of buildings have been constructed in the bioscience park, Farnham tells GlobeSt.com. "We're just at the very beginning," she says.

In addition to Stapleton, Forest City has a great deal of experience with bioscience projects. Their bioscience projects include University Park at MIT, in Cambridge, MA; Illinois Science + Technology Park, Skokie, IL; the New Eats Baltimore Community next to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; and the University of Pennsylvania Translational Research Laboratory in Philadelphia.

The FRA is a partnership between the City of Aurora and the University of Colorado. Its mission is to plan, manage, and oversee redevelopment at the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. FRA's site partners--University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, University of Colorado Hospital, and the Children's Hospital--manage the development of their locations at Fitzsimons and operate cooperatively with the FRA. The FRA manages the commercial development at Fitzsimons, including the Colorado Bioscience Park Aurora.