Image courtesy of SGA

Alexandria Real Estate Equities is giving details of its plans to transform the Arsenal on the Charles complex in Watertown, including plans for two new life science buildings totaling 215,000 square feet.

The life science developer is seeking to amend the 2016 master plan for the 29-acre campus on Arsenal Street. Plans by architects SGA include a 4-story, 107,000-square-foot office-lab building connected to the campus’ east parking garage, and a 4-story, 108,000-square-foot office-lab building on Kingsbury Avenue near the eastern edge of the campus.

In addition, developers propose a 6,000-square-foot NetZero Energy pavilion in front of the Arsenal’s west garage for community programming and a corporate shuttle bus drop-off area.

In a presentation at a virtual community meeting this week, Pasadena, California-based Alexandria announced other proposed updates to the campus including a new community room and bicycle storage area, improved bike connections from the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway to bike lanes on North Beacon Street and a bicycle share station on Arsenal Street. 

Alexandria bought the property for $525 million in December 2019 from Athenahealth, which leased back nearly 410,000 square feet. In January, FUJIFILM Corp. and the Center for Advanced Biological Innovation and Manufacturing leased 40,000 square feet at the Arsenal on the Charles for an R&D and manufacturing center.

A follow-up virtual community meeting is scheduled for March 11.