To the Editor:
The future has begun for the Bristol Myers Squibb site off Pennington-Rocky Hill and Titus Mill Roads in Hopewell Township, with South Plainfield-based PTC Therapeutics announcing it will lease a portion of the campus next year.
BMS announced in December 2016 that it would depart the site in 2020, and the company and the Hopewell Township Committee have since been working to determine the future of a location that contributes almost $1,000 per township household in property taxes.
The lease, which accounts for about 185,000 square feet, is an important first, concrete step in the transition of a campus that has more than a million square feet in its facility. It also means the prospect of additional skilled jobs close to home for our community and our neighbors. As of Aug. 5, PTC Therapeutics listed 85 open positions, many of those in its Bridgewater and South Plainfield locations.
Beyond that, PTC Therapeutics, according to its website, focuses on research in rare diseases. That means Hopewell Township may be the location for a breakthrough that helps save lives of people confronted with conditions that may not have widespread public awareness but deserve the attention of our innovative capabilities just the same.
It may be a commitment for just a portion of the BMS campus so far, but it’s a start, and a research-focused company that could attract others like it to ensure the site is put to a positive, productive use going forward.
Andrew Borders
Hopewell Township
Mr. Borders is a member of the Hopewell Township Zoning Board but writes as an individual resident.