3.0 University Place (an artist’s rendering). Image courtesy of University Place Associates (UPA).

Construction of 3.0 University Place, an eight-story commercial lab and office building at 41st and Market, is nearly complete, according to an announcement by University Place Associates (UPA), a commercial real estate development firm.

The building is scheduled for completion and will be ready for tenants in April. The 250,000 square-foot research hub will feature lab and office space on the upper floors, as well as a 14,000 square-foot green roof. It also features 25,000 square feet of retail space that developers aim to fill with a restaurant, an urgent care center, and a café in the coming months.

“We believe this location would be perfect for a restaurant, which is something the community has expressed a high interest in having in this neighborhood,” said Anthony Maher, President of UPA. The plan for the building also includes “plenty of outdoor café seating, an expansive sidewalk on all perimeters, and ample parking,” according to Maher.

UPA is also partnering with Lancaster-based Fulton Bank that signed on to become the first retail client on date and will occupy approximately 2,250 square feet on the ground floor.

The development of 3.0 University Place is part of UPA’s Platinum Corridor®, a multi-phase, innovative life sciences campus that spans from 39th to 42nd streets on Market.

UPA has shown a strong commitment to community engagement and sustainability from the early stages of the development. The company engaged world-renowned architect Phil Freelon, a Philadelphia native, to lead discussion sessions between the UPA team and neighborhood leaders. These insights provided invaluable input on how to connect the project to the community in meaningful ways.

UPA also collaborated with the Paul Robeson High School, where developers and contractors of 3.0 University Place helped build a new cafeteria for the school. The UPA team also hosted MyWIC (Mentoring Young Women in Construction), a free construction industry day camp for high school girls, and worked with West Park community leader Andrea Foster and State Representative Amen Brown to coordinate a day trip to the Poconos for more than 100 community youth.