Spec Lab Suites Coming to The Roxboro at Venable Center in Durham

A full floor of speculative lab suites is currently under construction at The Roxboro at Venable Center, a newly built, eight-story, 202,000-square-foot office building in Durham, North Carolina. They will be available to occupy by the second quarter of 2025.

CBRE’s Brad Corsmeier and John Brewer will handle the leasing efforts of the spec suites and the building itself on behalf of ownership, Foundation, a Trinity Capital portfolio company; SLI Capital; and Kane Realty.

“Having move-in ready spec space at The Roxboro for R&D lab users offers significant benefits. It allows life science companies to hit the ground running, minimizing downtime and accelerating their research and development timelines,” said Mr. Corsmeier, executive vice president with CBRE in Raleigh. “The Raleigh-Durham region is a hub of innovation, and ready-to-use lab spaces ensure that companies can quickly integrate into this vibrant ecosystem, fostering collaboration and growth. The Roxboro’s urban location in Downtown Durham offers tenants a seamless blend of work and leisure, boosting productivity but also enhancing overall well-being, making it an attractive choice for top talent. This combination of readiness, quality, and prime location in downtown Durham with immediate access to Research Triangle Park makes The Roxboro an ideal spot for life science R&D.”

The five suites will range in size from 3,647 sq. ft. to 6,188 sq. ft. or may be combined to form larger suites. They will feature state-of-the-art lab buildouts and finishes. Additional floors can be combined to accommodate growth or a larger R&D user.

"The Roxboro was designed for both lab and creative office use, giving us the flexibility to deliver spec suites that meet the market,” said Jeff Sheehan, Managing Partner with Trinity Capital. “Spec labs currently represent 70% of the Triangle's lab leasing activity, and we are excited to deliver Class-A spec lab space to growing life science companies drawn to the urban vibrancy of downtown Durham."

Delivered in 2022, The Roxboro at Venable Center is part of a larger mixed-use development in downtown Durham called Venable Center. It features a restored, three-building, 87,416 square-foot historic tobacco mill converted into a Class A life science and creative office space. Venable’s anchor tenant, Precision BioSciences, recently signed a five-year extension on their 71,000 sq. ft. space.

Located at the gateway to downtown Durham, Venable Center is bordered by Dillard, Pettigrew, and Roxboro Streets and is steps away from the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and American Tobacco Campus. The location benefits from immediate access to the Durham Freeway, an East/West connector allowing for convenience to major regional interstates 40 and 85. It’s also within walking distance of award-winning restaurants and popular lunch spots and adjacent to the proposed Dillard Street light rail station.