1 Avon Place in Suffern, New York — Courtesy: JLL
By Joshua Burd
Regeneron is seeking a buyer or tenant for a well-known, 235,000-square-foot research and development campus just north of Bergen County, according to a listing team with JLL.
The biotechnology company, which is based in Tarrytown, New York, acquired the former Avon complex in Suffern in late 2023 with plans to expand its own R&D capabilities. But it’s now looking to sell or lease the property at 1 Avon Place, less than a mile from the New Jersey border, after reportedly changing course and opting to focus on other facilities in the region.
JLL Vice Chairman Dan Loughlin, Senior Managing Director Jeremy Neuer and Vice President Matt Loughlin lead the listing team, touting the site’s purpose-built design and highly flexible layout supported by existing lab, office and technical infrastructure. The property also has flexible zoning that allows for a broad range of uses and future redevelopment potential, they said, including continued research and development use as well as conversion to health care, data center and other permitted uses, positioning the asset to appeal to a wide spectrum of owner-users, investors and tenants.
“Properties of this scale and quality rarely come to market in Rockland County,” Dan Loughlin said. “1 Avon Place offers a compelling combination of best-in-class infrastructure, flexible zoning and exceptional regional access. Whether for an owner-user seeking an R&D environment, an investor pursuing long-term value or a tenant looking to establish a flagship facility, this asset provides multiple paths to execution.”
Sitting on nearly 10 acres, 1 Avon Place has features such as 34 fume hoods, deionized water, compressed air and vacuum systems, natural gas to bench tops, a gas detection system, dual 900-ton chillers, 4,000 amps of total power and a 750-kilowatt emergency generator, JLL said. Existing uses span clinical testing, pilot plant operations, microbiology and analytical labs, executive offices and technical service areas, offering immediate usability for life sciences, biotech and R&D users.
The three-story property — the former innovation center for the global beauty brand — is a 30-minute drive from New York City at the crossroads of Interstate 287, the New York State Thruway and Route 17. It also offers strong regional accessibility and proximity to Suffern’s downtown, the listing team said, with mass transit less than a half-mile away and an area that has had some 400 residential units built or proposed since 2023 and an expanding medical market.
The property, meantime, has 565 parking spaces, 75,000-square-foot floor plates, a glass atrium lobby, 15.5-foot slab-to-slab heights, 24/7 gated security and three covered loading docks. The basement level serves as a hub for technical service operations.
“We are seeing strong investor demand across the life science sector,” Neuer said. “This opportunity stands out among the region’s inventory due to the original developer’s significant investment in high-quality construction, creating a turnkey environment that is increasingly difficult to replicate in today’s market.”
JLL added that Rockland County’s R&D and life sciences sectors are part of a diversified economic base, with targeted growth in biotech, advanced manufacturing and health care industries supported by increased interest from firms seeking proximity to Manhattan and major highway infrastructure. Demand from professional services, health care and flex users seeking to adapt space to hybrid work and operational needs continues to buoy the Class A and B office market.
