Georgia Life Sciences' BioReady program allows municipalities to showcase biotech-zoned science parks, to streamline permitting, to build a robust infrastructure, and to identify biotech-friendly sites more effectively.
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. As the life sciences sector in Georgia continues to grow at a rapid pace, the need for BioReady sites grows.
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 Life Sciences congratulates the following communities for achieving BioReady status.
- City of Alpharetta (Gold)
- City of Johns Creek (Gold)
- Athens-Clarke County (Gold)
- Augusta-Richmond County (Gold)
- Forsyth County (Bronze)
- Gwinnett County (Gold)
- City of Atlanta (Gold)
BioReady Ratings
Bronze
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
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.
- 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
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 Life Sciences BioReady Community designation for your municipality, please fill in this brief application. Before the BioReady ratings are publicized, you will receive confirmation of your community’s rating. We re-rate BioReady communities on a rolling basis.
