Just a month after breaking ground on its new home in New Haven, Alexion Pharmaceuticals plans to expand.
The company already planned to be the anchor for Downtown Crossing, which will transform an empty space off of Route 34 into offices, businesses and restaurants.
Now the company is asking the project developer to add two additional stories to the new building.
"That's good for Alexion, but it's also good long-term for centering the life and bioscience clustering here in New Haven," Mayor John DeStefano said.
Dr. Leonard Bell, Alexion founder and CEO said last month that the company is at a stage and a growth rate where contributions to the city "can energize the city, and the city can energize Alexion,”
Since Alexion was originally founded in New Haven, moving the global headquarters from Cheshire to the Elm City made sense. It also puts Alexion right next to Yale’s Medical School.
“In many ways, I’m a product of Yale," Bell said. "I went to the medical school; I was on the faculty for several years before I started Alexion. It’s a great opportunity to have exciting, innovative scientists be able to speak to each other, collaborate, all for the benefit of patients around the world.”
Alexion will move its employees from Cheshire to New Haven when the project is complete in 2015.