Westchester ready to lead in bioscience: View

Re "Biotech research: Massive Valhalla center forges ahead," April 3 article:

It is hard to imagine a more powerful economic message than the one sent last Monday night when the Westchester County Board of Legislators voted unanimously to approve a 99-year lease of 60 acres of county-owned land adjacent to the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla that will allow the creation of the $2.1 billion Westchester BioScience & Technology Center. This shining example of bipartisanship sent a resounding message: Westchester stands ready to build on the burgeoning bioscience cluster that has already taken root and to take a leadership role regionally and nationally in the high tech, high-growth life and bio sciences arena.

The Board’s 17-0 vote for the largest single financial transaction in county history sets the stage for creation of a three million-square-foot mixed-use complex by developer John Fareri, who first proposed the concept seven years ago. His innovative plan can now move to the Town of Mount Pleasant for environmental and site plan review and final approval, a process expected to take 18 to 24 months.

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The Business Council of Westchester fully endorses the public-private approach to developing this strategically important project that promises to create more than 8,000 permanent, high-paying, high-tech jobs. We applaud County Executive Rob Astorino, Chairman Michael Kaplowitz and the entire board for their vision and leadership.

The positive outcome was particularly rewarding for our organization. For the last decade the BCW has worked tirelessly to support the steps necessary to help position Westchester and the Hudson Valley as a center for the bio-tech and bioscience industries that are well-matched to the region’s intellectual capital and talent. We were strong proponents of bio-tech and bio-science before they became household words. In fact, our support was crucial to New York state’s approval of $4 million in grants for the creation of the Biotech Incubator at New York Medical College in Valhalla in 2011, which was a critically important first step.

With Regeneron’s astounding expansion and Acorda’s continued growth in Westchester, our budding life sciences/biotech sector is well on its way. But our work is far from done. The BCW is currently advocating for life science incentives proposed for inclusion in this year's state budget and we have fought against legislation that would be a disincentive to the very companies whose growth we are trying to spur.

The Board of Legislators’ vote was an endorsement of the importance of public/private partnerships in fostering infrastructure and economic development. For the residents of Westchester County, the approval of the lease is a singularly important step forward in securing the economic future of the county, the region and the state.

The writer is president and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester.