World's largest biotech firm wants to expand its Branchburg operations. Here's what's planned
BRANCHBURG – One of the township's biggest employers wants to be bigger.
Roche Molecular Systems is scheduled to appear before the township Planning Board this week with plans to expand operations on its 63-acre campus on southbound Route 202 across from the municipal complex.
Roche, which employs more than 800 people on the campus, wants to build a parking garage with 750 spaces, an 85,000-square-foot warehouse and a 56,000-square-foot production facility.
In addition, the company wants to expand its central utility plant on the site by 7,200 square feet and realign the internal roadway system to accommodate future expansion. The company also wants to realign the existing stormwater basins in anticipation of future expansion.
The hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the municipal building.
Last year the Planning Board approved a temporary 540-space parking lot on the Roche site. The application for the project said the parking was needed because of increasing production on the site due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this year, the board approved the expansion of the solid waste system on the property.
Roche has an annual property tax bill of more than $1.8 million.
Also see:Central Jersey pharmaceutical firms join war against pandemic
The Branchburg facility is the largest polymerase chain reaction (PCR) manufacturing site in the world. PCR is a laboratory technique for rapidly producing millions to billions of copies of a specific segment of DNA so diseases can be diagnosed and monitored.
The Branchburg facility develops and manufactures an array of medical diagnostic tools for researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals, laboratories and blood banks worldwide.
Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, Roche has grown into the world’s largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Roche Molecular Systems wants to expand its Branchburg NJ operations
