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BEDFORD, MA-Boston Properties has secured one of the larger and more sought-after leasing requirements of 2007, as technology firm iRobot signed a 12-year agreement for 157,000 sf at 8 Crosby Dr. The property, also known as the Bedford Business Park, had previously been occupied by Abbott Laboratories.

The pact is evidence of burgeoning interest for space in the Route 128 North office submarket, according to Jon Varholak, a principal at Richards Barry Joyce & Partners. The region "is home to a host of emerging and existing technology companies," adds Varholak, who negotiated the lease for the tenant along with RBJ colleague John Wilson. Boston Properties was represented in-house by SVP David Provost, VP Stacey Baker, SVP Jim Rosenfeld and project manager Richard Monopoli.

Getting iRobot to make such a long-term commitment to the property and the region required a broad-based effort, says Monopoli. He praised state economic officials, the Massachusetts Highway Department, the town of Bedford and the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management for playing critical roles in that mission.