Patriots' owner may get in the game - biotech, that is

Patriot Place's shops are open near Gillette Stadium; offices and labs may be next. (Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe)

FOXBOROUGH - Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place could be just the start of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's plans for property he owns along Route 1 in Foxborough.

Governor Deval Patrick's administration has designated 500 partially developed acres near the stadium as a growth district, making the land eligible for fast-tracked government approvals and state infrastructure money.

The Kraft Group has not filed formal plans for the property, but has indicated it wants to build a 1.5 million-square-foot office and research park, possibly for biotechnology companies.

"We've been doing some planning for this property for some time," said spokesman Stacey James. "The Krafts have owned the property for the past 20 years."

James said there are no potential tenants for the office park yet, and the company is seeking more tenants for Patriot Place, the new entertainment and shopping complex next to the stadium.

"I don't think there is a timeline right now," James said of the office park project.

"I don't think there is anyone out there wanting to move in right now," said Foxborough's town planner, Marc Resnick.

While the Kraft Group would like to create a biotechnology and medical research park, the property could be used for general office development, James said.

Foxborough is far from the state's existing cluster of biotechnology companies, which are mainly in Cambridge and Boston to take advantage of those cities' academic research insitutitions. But more have been moving to the suburbs in search of additional space and lower rents. Last week, for instance, Biogen Idec Inc. said it will move its corporate headquarters from Cambridge to Weston. So far, however, biotechs have not gone south of Boston.

A Foxborough biotechnology park appears to be a long shot, but it has to be taken seriously, given Robert Kraft's success in other ventures, said Robert Cordeau, at the commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle.

"The first thing you have to say is never put anything past the Krafts," Cordeau said. "Who knows who he knows in the industry?"

Through his charitable activities, Robert Kraft, a strong supporter of medical research, has had a long relationship with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In June, he appeared with Patrick at Joslin Diabetes Center when the governor signed into law his $1 billion biotechnology initiative.

Asked about prospects for the Foxborough development, given the downturn in real estate, James said it's a long-term venture that would depend on future demand for space.

The site is across Route 1 from Gillette Stadium and is used mainly as parking lots. Kraft signaled his intention to develop it as early as 1999, when the town included it in an economic development zone created to allow construction of the stadium.

Plans call for 150,000 square feet of retail space. James said it could be used for one large store or several smaller ones.

The office park area would be slightly larger than Patriot Place, which has 1.3 million square feet. The park probably would have a smaller footprint, however, since the buildings would be multi-story. Foxborough officials have voiced support for Kraft's plans and the state initiative aimed at boosting the project.

"We think it will complement what's happening across the street at Patriot Place," said Town Manager Andrew A. Gala Jr.

Resnick, the town planner, said, "I think most people here are welcoming it."

The Foxborough site is one of 14 in Massachusetts designated as special growth districts. Under the program, the state agrees to expedite permitting and provide money for improvements, such as road upgrades.

Most of the other growth districts are in older cities or at former military bases or under-used industrial properties. They include sites in Lowell, Worcester, Springfield, and New Bedford, as well as the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station and Cordage Park in Plymouth.

The main improvements needed in Foxborough would probably include extending water and sewer service, Gala said. He added that some road work may be required, but extensive improvements to Route 1 and nearby roads were completed before the stadium opened in 2002.

Kofi Jones, spokeswoman for the state Office of Housing and Economic Development, said a key reason the agency selected the Foxborough site as a growth district was the town's support for the project.

Robert Preer can be reached at preer@globe.com.