Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company—also known as Lilly—is considering Generation Park for a new manufacturing plant, according to a tax incentive application posted on the Texas Comptroller's website May 16.
Two-minute impact
Lilly—a manufacturer of medicines like Mounjaro, Zepbound and Ebglyss—is considering purchasing 236 acres from Generation Park developer McCord for a new manufacturing plant. According to the application, the proposed project would consist of construction multiple buildings and outdoor facilities, installation of machinery and equipment and construction of critical infrastructure.
While the project is not yet confirmed, company spokesperson said it's part of a larger plan announced in February for Lilly to build four new pharmaceutical manufacturing sites across the U.S. At the time, company officials said they were in negotiations with several states and expected to announce all four future site locations this year.
"As announced in February, Lilly is actively evaluating manufacturing site locations throughout the U.S. to expand capacity to meet the growing demand for our current and future pipeline medicines across multiple therapeutic areas. Any future decisions will be shared at the appropriate time," a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The timeline
According to the application, construction on the project would begin in 2026 and wrap up in 2030 with commercial operations beginning in 2031. The incentive period would run from 2031-2040, with the possibility of an additional 25-year incentive period through 2065.
The impact
In the application, company officials noted total capital investment in the project is estimated to be approximately $5.9 billion including real property acquisition, building construction and machinery and equipment investments.
According to an economic benefit statement prepared for the project by Impact DataSource LLC, the site is projected to directly generate $233.2 million annually at full operations in 2031 and $10.36 billion for the full 41-year period.
"The Greater Houston Partnership is aware of the pending project and has been actively involved in the process; however, we're unable to comment or provide additional details at this time," GHP officials said in an emailed statement. "What we can say is that Houston has all the ingredients to be an ideal location for life science companies to invest given our access to talent, robust infrastructure and favorable business climate."
Additionally, the project is expected to employ more than 600 full-time employees with positions including:
- Operations technicians
- Production specialists
- Maintenance support
- Quality control/assurance
- Engineering
- Administration
- Management
Some context
Generation Park is a 4,300-acre master-planned community located in northeast Houston. As previously reported by Community Impact, the community expanded its life sciences offerings in 2024 with the construction of the San Jacinto College Center for Biotechnology and infrastructure improvements that cleared the way for BioHub Two, a 45-acre biomanufacturing campus planned for the development.
Ray Hernandez, president and CEO of Partnership Lake Houston, said the Lake Houston area is uniquely positioned to accommodate the life sciences industry due to its population base and strategic location.
"The Lake Houston area continues to be an ideal location for entities in the life sciences field," Hernandez said. "We have a talented workforce, top-rated [school districts], Lone Star College, San Jacinto College ... and then with I-69, Beltway 8, the Grand Parkway and Bush Airport ... and then we're just 15-20 minutes away from the Port of Houston—that transportation infrastructure makes us a great candidate for any businesses to look at," Hernandez said.
