Bioterra
Sorrento Valley // A new all-electric Life Science Campus in Sorrento Mesa
Robert P., Contributing Writer
Bioterra is a 320,000 square foot Life Science Campus located in Sorrento Mesa. Located on the corner of Mira Mesa Boulevard and Oberlin Drive, the campus is contained within one massive building. Almost all of the facility’s floor space is designed to be used as lab space. The site was previously the location of The Oberlin, which was itself a substantial renovation of the far older Mira Mesa Business Park.
Bioterra’s developer is Boston-based Longfellow Real Estate, who positions Bioterra as their “flagship” life science property for the San Diego region, following the delivery of their other local properties—Biovista, Centerpark Labs, SOVA Science District, and Reserve Labs.
Like the many new lab campuses in the immediate vicinity, Bioterra was born from the post-pandemic life science real estate boom. Collectively, projects like Bioterra all opening around the same time in the same region have transformed San Diego’s once-lacking lab inventory into a now oversaturated market. The San Diego Business Journal reported a roughly 29% life science vacancy in San Diego county around Bioterra’s opening in October 2025, roughly double what it was just a year prior. It is unknown if Bioterra has any tenants as of this article’s writing, although at Bioterra’s opening in 2025 a Longfellow representative stated they were in “active negotiations” with potential tenants. Two units in the building are spec suites, meaning they are fully fit-out, move-in ready labs.
The building was designed to feature open spaces with an abundance of natural light and top-flight amenities. Said amenities are consolidated on the fifth floor of the development and include a lounge, cafe, fitness center, event space, roof deck, and private meeting rooms. The building also includes 3 levels of underground parking. Design was spearheaded by national architectural firm HoK, with the campus built to be all-electric and LEED Gold certified. HoK’s work earned them an honorable mention at the American Architecture Awards. Construction was led by McCarthy Builders, completed in 2025 after starting in 2022.
SOURCES:
https://bioterrasd.com/location/
https://www.flipsnack.com/9959A58A9F7/bioterra_5897-oberlin-drive/full-view.html
https://www.hok.com/projects/view/bioterra-life-sciences-building/
https://www.sdbj.com/real-estate/longfellow-completes-sorrento-mesa-life-science-building/