BioReady® Communities
Georgia Bio is proud to launch the BioReady® Community program in the State of Georgia with the support from our partners at MassBio. As the life sciences sector in Georgia continues to grow at a rapid pace, the need for bioready sites grows. The BioReady® program will allow municipalities to showcase biotech-zoned science parks, streamline permitting, build a robust infrastructure, and identify biotech-friendly sites more effectively. Georgia is emerging as a life science hub and we are becoming BioReady® for companies looking to relocate.
Georgia cities and towns are increasingly adopting local policies that greatly ease the pathway for renovation or new construction of biotech laboratory and manufacturing facilities.
Our counterpart in Massachusetts, MassBio, has developed a rating system to determine a municipality’s readiness to host biotechnology facilities based on the community’s zoning practices and infrastructure capacity. BioReady® rates these communities in three tiers from Bronze to Gold. Through these BioReady® ratings, Georgia Bio seeks to provide cities and towns a platform to effectively tell their stories to the biotechnology industry that will ultimately help real estate developers and biotechnology companies find the most favorable destinations to locate. Georgia Bio looks forward to helping our communities make a commitment to hosting the life sciences industry.
BioReady® Ratings
BRONZE LEVEL
Municipalities at this level feature:
- Municipal water and sewer available in commercial and industrial areas.
- For cities, a Capacity Letter from their home county for water and sewer in the area may be provided as proof of availability.
- Zoning allows for biotech laboratory and manufacturing uses by special use permit.
- Identified point of contact in City Hall or County Offices to assist biotech projects.
SILVER LEVEL
Municipalities at this level feature Bronze Level criteria PLUS:
- Municipality allows biotech laboratory and manufacturing uses by right.
- Has identified buildings and/or land sites for biotechnology uses in municipal plans.
- Plan types may include Comprehensive Plans, Urban Redevelopment Plans, Vision and Master Plans, or other applicable documents.
AND 2 of the following 3:
- Municipality convenes site plan review meetings, bringing together all pertinent departments, to provide an overview of the local approvals process for significant commercial and industrial projects.
- Has land sites or buildings identified on regional growth maps from their respective Regional Commission. See a map of Georgia’s regional commissions here.
- Has land sites or buildings identified on regional growth maps from their respective Regional Commission: Atlanta Regional Commission, Middle Georgia Regional Commission, Georgia Mountains Regional Commission, or Coastal Georgia Regional Commission.
GOLD LEVEL
Municipalities at this level feature Silver Level criteria PLUS:
- Municipality has existing buildings in which biotech laboratory or manufacturing activities are taking place.
- Measure indicates that municipalities have existing experience permitting biotech laboratory and manufacturing facilities as well as the assurance that companies who choose to locate will be part of a greater ecosystem of biotech and life science uses.
AND 1 of the following 2:
- Municipality includes a building or buildings with appropriate zoning for biotech uses which totals 20,000 square feet or more of available space for biotech uses.
- At the time of application, the building needs to be available for sale, rent, etc.
- Municipality includes a shovel-ready site or sites with appropriate zoning for biotech uses at a minimum of 3 acres each.
- At the time of application, the site(s) should to be available for sale, rent, etc.
BioReady® Application
If you are interested in receiving a Georgia Bio BioReady® Community designation for your municipality, please fill in this brief application below to tell us more. Before the BioReady® Ratings are publicized, you will receive confirmation of your community’s rating from Georgia Bio. We re-rate BioReady® communities on a rolling basis.
For questions, contact Maria Thacker-Goethe at mthacker@cghi.org.