South Boston’s latest neighborhood transformation has less to do with yuppies moving into new apartment buildings on Broadway and more about scientific research.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities and Anchor Line Partners have plans to jointly develop a 210K SF lab building at 99 A St. in Southie, according to documents filed with the Boston Planning & Development Agency. The proposed 133-foot project is planned for the 1.1-acre property bounded by A Street, West Second Street, the South Boston Bypass Road and West Third Street. The development would replace the Coppersmith restaurant and several industrial buildings.

The proposal leaves the door open for up to 2,500 SF of ground-floor retail and a restaurant. Developers hope to start construction in 2020 and finish by 2022.

The project will be built as Greater Boston’s life science cluster expands beyond its traditional hub in East Cambridge’s Kendall Square. Developers have pursued life science projects in the Seaport’s eastern edge and have more recently circled properties along Fort Point Channel.

The property previously slated for General Electric’s canceled second phase of its global headquarters is getting pitched as a potential life science development, and Related Beal is reportedly in talks to buy 6.5 acres next to the GE property, and it is expected to incorporate a life science component in any future development.