FHO Partners signs nine leases to life science companies totaling 105,934 s/f

FHO Partners' Asset Advisory Group signed nine leases at One Kendall Sq. on behalf of its clients The Beal Companies and Rockwood Capital. The transactions, listed below, are a mix of relocations, lease renewals and expansions for a variety of life science companies. *Foundation Medicine leased 22,506 s/f; *IDENIX Pharmaceuticals renews 22,500 s/f lease; *NinePoint Medical leases 17,105 s/f; *Merrimack Pharmaceuticals expands to 11,878 s/f; *Visterra leases 11,750 s/f; *Addgene expands to 7,145 s/f; *Ra Pharmaceuticals leases 6,288 s/f; *Cequent Pharmaceuticals renews 4,782 s/f lease; and *Firefly Bioworks leases 1,980 s/f. "One Kendall Sq. continues to attract a remarkable level of tenant interest and activity given its quality space and unparalleled access to a variety of amenities, public transportation, and key clusters of businesses in Kendall Sq.," said FHO Partners' Duncan Gratton, co-head of the asset advisory group. "It is gratifying when the market tells you your vision and business plan are correct. Our recent success at One Kendall has been the product of several years of work and planning, a true team effort," said Stephen Faber, senior vice president of the Beal Cos. Three of the four largest lease agreements are for new tenants at One Kendall Sq., including Foundation Medicine and NinePoint Medical, two growing life sciences firms supported by Third Rock Ventures. Merrimack Pharmaceuticals and Addgene expanded into larger spaces at One Kendall Sq. One Kendall officials anticipate reaching a 95% occupancy rate in the building by the end of 2010. FHO Partners is a commercial real estate firm offering a full range of brokerage, consulting, strategic planning, research, lease administration, marketing, lease auditing, lease portfolio and transaction management services for corporate and institutional clients alike. The senior partners of the firm have worked together for over 20 years providing customized advisory consulting and brokerage services to an extensive range of corporate and institutional clients, both locally and on a national and international basis. For more information, visit www.fhopartners.com or call 617-279-4555. The Beal Companies, LLP is a commercial real estate firm based in downtown Boston. Beal's core competencies include: Acquisition, Development, Asset Management, Construction Management, Consulting, and Brokerage of all forms of Commercial and Residential Properties, from new construction to historic preservation. For more information, visit www.bealco.com or call 617-451-2100. Rockwood Capital is a private real estate investment firm that currently is managing more than $4.2 billion of equity commitments. For the past 17 years Rockwood Capital has been a trusted equity joint venture partner with outstanding real estate entrepreneurs investing and adding value to all types of real estate, including urban and suburban office, research and development, biotech, data center, neighborhood and regional retail, urban and suburban hotel, apartment, condominium, resort and single family property.