Science Park Development Corp. said Wednesday it has signed a series of lease agreements with several biotechnology companies planning to remain through 2010.

The organization oversees a large part of Science Park on Winchester Avenue, which is nearly filled.  Tenants include Ikonisys Inc., which recently doubled the amount of space it leases to 18,000 square feet; Genaissance Pharmaceuticals; Kodak Scientific Imaging; and Yale University.

"We've been here for five years and we're committed to staying until at least 2010," said Ikonisys Chairman and CEO Petros Tsipouras.  "Within the next two years, I anticipate we will probably double it (space) again."

While the majority of companies leasing space are in the biotechnology industry, the organization could look to move other industries into space available, said Science Park President and Chairman David Silverstone.

"It's important to widen the market beyond just life sciences," he said.

That could hinge on what happens with two parcels under development that would be suitable for light industrial businesses, Silverstone said.

Science Park holds the ground lease for several buildings on the site and directly oversees two of them, which together comprise 110,000 square feet of space in one of the buildings.

Two other parcels are overseen by New Hampshire-based Lyme Properties and are not yet fully developed.

The lease agreement announcement comes as one of the park's biggest tenants, the U.S. Repeating Arms Co. factor, prepares to shut down by March 31, leaving 186 workers jobless and a 235,000-square-foot building empty.  Science Park holds the ground lease for that building until 2018, and USRAC is searching for a buyer for the property.

"Obviously, we're all concerned about the loss of jobs," Silverstone said.  "That's a clean site and we'd love to have (a new owner) come in."

For more information, contact H. Pearce Commercial Real Estate, (203) 281-3400, Richard Guralnick ext. 320 or Rodney Waters ext. 372.

H. Pearce Commercial Real Estate specializes in Connecticut’s central, south-central, and Shoreline markets, with offices in North Haven and Rocky Hill. Commercial property offerings can be found in color on the web at www.HPearceCommercial.com.