Astellas Pharma moving to Cambridge Crossing

Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma Inc. is moving its local operations to an underconstruction lab at Cambridge Crossing, a multi-building life-science and residential campus just off the MBTA Lechmere Station. Astellas has leased 62,000 square feet at 441 Morgan Ave., where it plans to move next year. The facility will eventually host “a few hundred Boston-based Astellas employees” and will “support and enable our company growth, allowing us to pursue new opportunities in the life sciences and attract talent,” said Selva Nataraja, site head of Astellas subsidiary Mitobridge, in a statement. Some 50 Astellas employees currently work out of a 25,000-square-foot space at 1030 Massachusetts Ave. near Harvard Square. The company also operates the Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Westborough, which will not be affected by the Cambridge move. Cambridge Crossing is home to companies including Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi, and Cerevel Therapeutics. Developer DivcoWest has built five labs and a 20-story, 468-unit apartment building at the campus so far, with an additional commercial building and seven residential parcels left to build. The campus is home to restaurants The Lexington, Cafe Beatrice, and Geppetto, along with Tatte Bakery & Cafe and Bon Me, and an REI Co-op. The 43-acre site, which is mostly located in East Cambridge but includes portions of Boston and Somerville, will ultimately have 4.5 million square feet of development. Construction on the 441 Morgan Ave. lab is expected to be completed this fall. The facility has seven full floors, or 313,000 square feet, left to lease.