A proposed research and development biotech campus at 101 Gull Drive has received approval from the South San Francisco Planning Commission to add building height and parking to plans.

The changes call for increasing the building from seven to nine stories and adding two levels to the parking garage, according to a staff report. The site is on 3.8 acres of property in the city’s East Side neighborhood and proposes the building go from around 166,000 square feet to 281,000 square feet. The proposal now calls for 574 spots instead of 419, going from the minimum standards required in a project to the maximum. According to a staff report, the project will reach around 160 feet tall. Developer Sanfo Group asked the Planning Commission to amend its 2022 approved entitlements at an April 20 meeting. The commission agreed to the changes without any criticism.

“I do like the project, and I will approve it,” Vice Chair Norm Faria said.

The proposal would develop what is now a vacant 3.7-acre lot surrounded by industrial uses into a research and development site not far from Oyster Point Marina and Genentech. The lot was sold in 2020 for $14.9 million. The project developers received the first approval in 2022. Commissioner John Baker asked that the developer and tenants try to promote alternative transportation for people using the site. He noted that while he wanted to reduce parking, inconsistent developmental planning on the city’s east side makes it necessary. Chair Alex Tzang applauded the designs that made the massing look much smaller than it actually is.

“It’s quite easily an approvable project,” Tzang said.

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As DFW climbs the ranks of the US biotech markets, interest in life science and laboratory development is at an all-time high. CBRE ranks the Dallas cluster as the sixth strongest emerging life sciences market in the country thanks to airport connectivity, accessible land and strong educational institutions.

However, a significant impediment to the region’s growth as a leading center for life sciences is that DFW does not have the laboratory space. To support continued growth, the region needs to develop a mix of research and development (R&D) and biological manufacturing facilities to meet the specific needs of companies at different stages of development.

Dallas “has the talent and the ideas, but is lagging behind on physical infrastructure and funding, which is an indication [a] Market ripe for growth given thoughtful development,” noted commercial real estate consultant JLL in a recent report.

DFW developers and building owners have an opportunity to help DFW realize its potential by focusing on the needs of emerging young companies. Here are five ways developers can help fuel the biotech boom in DFW.

Build the missing center

On the journey from garage to IPO, biotech startups hit milestones where they need to scale quickly. In the beginning, co-working facilities such as Biolabs in Pegasus Park are ideal, offering start-ups space in a vibrant research environment without significant investments. But Dallas startups have few setup options after outgrowing coworking. And if you can’t find a place here, go somewhere else.

DFW needs speculative laboratory facilities: spaces that are 70 to 80 percent complete and can be quickly customized to specific tenant needs. The key to mitigating risk with this strategy is finding the right balance between a “wet lab ready” core and shell infrastructure that is flexible enough to adapt to the tenant’s unique operational needs.

Reposition class B office space

Speed ​​to market is critical for growing biotech startups. They often need to be able to move in and be up and running within months, not years. There is an opportunity to retrofit the growing stock of vacant Class B office space. But there’s a steep learning curve to making a successful lab conversion.

Not every office building is suitable for a laboratory. A typical laboratory building has to absorb up to ten times more energy and four times more water than a conventional office. Laboratories require higher floor-to-floor heights and robust mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure to support connector loads and ventilation systems. Finding an existing office building that meets these requirements and can be efficiently retrofitted requires careful budget analysis and rigorous due diligence.

Develop Near Knowledge Hubs

San Francisco, San Diego and Boston thrive as biotech hubs in part because of their synergy with local academic and research institutions that provide access to funding and a pool of highly skilled workers. The best research clusters provide space for STEM education, human resource development, and incubator labs that serve as hubs for collaboration, innovation, and scholarly dialogue.

To be competitive, DFW should seek to develop vibrant urban enclaves connected to research and education districts. The areas around TCU’s new medical school, the UNT Health Sciences Center and Southside Medical District in Forth Worth, the Baylor Scott & White Texas A&M campus, the UT Southwestern Medical District in Dallas, and the UTSW/Texas Health Resources Medical Research campuses in Frisco are natural places to visit Home.

Anticipate the demand for sustainability

Businesses considering moving to DFW cite affordable rents and low energy bills as major benefits. Many also have environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals and high expectations for sustainable design. DFW needs to go beyond regular business to attract young biotech companies.

Laboratory buildings are notorious resource hogs, but a high-performance design can significantly reduce water, energy, and material consumption. The key is understanding the intricacies of lab operations and working with lab users to find ways to increase resource consumption beyond recycling the building envelope, efficient use of space, proper sizing of MEP systems, and incorporating natural ventilation and daylighting where appropriate, sustained improve performance as well as human health.

Attract talent with Human-Centered Labs

Coastal biotech centers invest in quality jobs to attract the best scientific talent. DFW keeps up by offering the next evolution in design for the scientific workplace with amenities that attract venture capital, philanthropy and star scientists.

Human-centric labs use a research-based methodology to support human health and well-being by offering a choice of work environments and integrating technology as an extension of the workforce. Biophilic environments provide recreational opportunities for scientists to restore focus and increase productivity. Institutions can also support mentoring, collaboration and inspiration, and contribute to mental and physical wellbeing by helping people from diverse backgrounds feel empowered to do their best work. This is where investing in a quality job moves from a recruitment tool to a real benefit for scientific discovery.

About the author

Isabel Mandujano leads the laboratory design practice for LPA Design Studios. As a founding member of the Texas Chapter of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL), she specializes in creating high-performance laboratories that are inspiring, sustainable, functional and safe.

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The conversion of a vacant lot into a residential, retail, and 750,000-square-foot biotech center that will revitalize an area north of Lowe’s in South San Francisco will not happen overnight, and now the city council and developer are working on the details.

For nearly 10 years, a vacant lot at 180 El Camino Real has been a thorn in the side of South San Francisco residents. Construction of the 64,000-square-foot Safeway, which spans more than 3 of the 14 acres, began last week, but work is far from complete. A City Council meeting on Wednesday, September 14th considered noise control measures, environmental impact and the need to divide the property into three lots.

“One of the big complaints for the biotech on the east side is that there’s nothing there for the employees, so you’re going to have a safeway with all the departments,” Councilor Mark Addiego said.

The remaining 11 acres will be divided into three lots to accommodate a 183-unit multifamily residence, three research and development buildings totaling approximately 750,000 square feet, and a parking garage shared with public sidewalks and retail facilities. The developer calls for 105 feet, although the height limit for the area is currently 80 feet.

This website answers those calls to action and will also benefit the community, Addiego added.

The project is located approximately 2 miles from San Francisco International Airport and falls under the jurisdiction of the airport land use, which has guidelines regarding noise levels. In order for the project to proceed, the developers must ask the council to override the Airport Land Use Committee with the City/Counties Association of Governments of San Mateo County noise compliance policy, ultimately reducing airport liability for problems related to excessive noise noise that residents and renters may have.

Along with the suspension, the commission added a condition for safety requirements to protect public health and safety.

Proximity to the San Bruno BART station and SamTrans service on El Camino Real offers developers flexibility in reducing parking spaces as the goal is to reduce traffic and become more environmentally friendly.

The project provides for a total of 1,400 parking spaces, equivalent to 1.65 spaces per 1,000 square feet of R&D space and 1.58 spaces per unit in the residential building for a total of 290.

Councilor Eddie Flores asked if the proposed parking layout would cause problems with residents who, for convenience, choose to park at the Safeway rather than drive into their residential parking garage and walk to Huntington Avenue, where designated residential parking is currently proposed.

“I think that we need to restructure the above-ground parking lot for Safeway, it’s definitely not going to be enough,” Flores said.

Mayor Mark Nagales also expressed concerns that nearby neighbors would be bothered if there was not enough parking space.

“Residents who live across the street are concerned that people may park in their neighborhood because they can’t find a parking space,” Nagales said.

Councilor James Coleman expressed concern that the research and development buildings could go fully electric. He suggested developers speak to representatives from Peninsula Clean Energy, who offer free support to go fully electric.

Due to the height request, the developer is offering a $2.4 million community fund earmarked for a new community facility and moderate improvements at El Camino Real.

A project development fee totaling US$45 million is provided primarily: US$24.4 million for city-wide transportation, US$12.5 million for commercial connectivity, US$5.2 million for parks and recreation, $1.5 million for childcare, $1 million for public safety, and $200,000 for the library.

“It’s really important to us to give back to the community and city while also having a successful project,” said Steve Dunn, SteelWave’s Senior Managing Director.

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A new biotech building has been approved in South San Francisco for a site between Highway 101, Grand Avenue and the recently renovated Caltrain station.

The eight-story building will sit on a long-vacant 4-acre lot on Dubuque Ave. 580 are built and when completed will overlook the motorway and the railway tracks. It will also be the first research and development project in the city to fully address two of the city council’s key priorities, as the building will be both fully electric and include minimal parking to encourage the use of public transport.

“It’s really going to set a standard for biotechnology development,” Councilor James Coleman said. “Not just here in South San Francisco, but across the Bay Area and across the country for what this industry can be: green, sustainable, and for the community.”

The building will have 295,000 square feet of laboratory and office space, accommodating approximately 842 employees, and include a four-story underground parking garage with 346 spaces.

Typically, developments of this size in the area would include 500 or more parking spaces, but city planners said they hope 40% of employees will use modes of transport other than single-person vehicles given the site’s proximity to the train station. Also mentioned is the possibility of sharing parking spaces with neighboring locations.

“We have a very, aggressively low parking rate,” said Justine Nielsen, senior vice president at IQHQ, the developer overseeing the project. “[It] is below what our brokers tell us and certainly below what many of our competitors are doing.”

The building also goes beyond the city’s environmentally conscious regulations, which mandate building electrification, which currently only applies to new housing developments. The council had stopped extending the rules to commercial buildings amid concerns about additional strain on the electricity grid and fears that biotechnology applications could require natural gas for some laboratory operations.

The developer indicated that compliance with 100% electric power would entail an additional upfront cost of $1.5 million.

Several improvements to the surrounding pedestrian streets will be added, including a new landscaped walkway parallel to Dubuque Avenue. Fifty new trees will be planted on the site, which was used for industrial purposes prior to the 1990’s and more recently used to store construction equipment and materials for Caltrain’s electrification work.

The ground floor will house a coffee shop open to the public, and a fitness center and meeting rooms and outdoor seating will also be located on the ground floor.

Council members praised the building’s architecture, which will feature “perforated metal louvers” that will have the appearance of a rusty patina. Councilor Mark Addiego said, based on renderings, the design is among his top 3 for new structures in the area.

“Where it’s placed, where it’s standing just above the freeway, that’s going to be noticed equally, so I can only be delighted and supportive and ready to see it get off the ground,” he said. “I think IQHQ can see the long-term benefits of this package, but many people balked at it because it had some very unique challenges.”

As part of the agreement, the developer will collectively contribute $16.8 million to various city funds to go towards infrastructure, affordable housing and childcare, among other things. The developer is contributing an additional $3.5 million to fund improvements to the adjacent Caltrain station

Overhead wires serving the station will also be laid underground, an endeavor that the developer says will cost $5 million.

Nielsen said she hopes the building will be completed by August 2024.

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A long-awaited Safeway, biotech campus and housing development in south San Francisco is poised to move forward after the city council voted this week to overrule a decision by the airport board that found the site too noisy for housing was.

The project, which will include 184 apartments, the grocery and other retail businesses, and three six-story life science buildings, is the latest proposal for a long-vacant 14-acre lot at 180 El Camino Real.

The site was previously occupied by a Safeway, which closed in 2014 ahead of expected redevelopment. The city had approved a project that would include 284 new homes and 220,000 square feet of retail that the previous owner was unable to move forward.

The latest plans came in 2021 from SteelWave, a Foster City developer who has since bought the site. The proposed new Safeway would be 64,000 square feet — a flagship facility open 24 hours a day, complete with a pharmacy, a grocer representative told planning commissioners last year.

SteelWave has provided the latest plans for the development of 180 El Camino Real in South San Francisco

An additional 10,000 square feet for other businesses would also be included, and the apartments would be in a seven-story building on the northeast corner of the property, with parking in a separate garage.

However, the proposal hit a potential snag earlier this month when the Airport Land Use Committee, along with the City/County Association of Governments for the county, determined that the site receives too much noise from aircraft to be suitable for housing.

The City Council this week unanimously voted to overrule the decision, noting other advantages the location offers, including proximity to the San Bruno BART station, which is less than half a mile away, and the grocery store Place that improves walkability.

“We’re really developing a new neighborhood that will have great connectivity with public transport,” said Councilor Mark Addiego.

He also pointed to a 338-unit housing development planned in 2020 for 410 Noor Ave. approved, a site adjacent to the Safeway project closer to the airport. The city council at the time also overruled the airport committee’s decision.

“It’s not my favorite committee, let’s put it that way,” Mayor Mark Nagales said. “In terms of the projects we keep putting them before it, that’s a pretty strict definition and if it doesn’t meet their definition, that’s an automatic no.”

In 2021, a Foster City developer who has since bought the site. The city council unanimously voted this week to overrule a decision by the airport’s land use committee, which found the site receives too much noise from aircraft to be suitable for housing and pointed to other benefits the site offers .

If the project faced Huntington Avenue, it would be cleared according to the committee’s criteria, said Billy Gross, the city’s chief planner. He said the site is reportedly exposed to 70 decibels and the developer’s intention is to reduce indoor noise from residential buildings to 45 decibels or less.

The Shops at Tanforan is also about a half mile away, closer to San Francisco International Airport. There are plans to convert it into a biotech space and 1,000 housing units or more. Existing neighborhoods of single-family homes are even closer.

Prosecutor Sky Woodruff said repealing the council would not open the city to potential litigation.

The Council’s action informs both the Airports Commission and the Caltrans Division of Aeronautics of its intention. A formal vote on the matter will take place sometime in September, Gross said. The Planning Commission is also due to review the project next month.

corey@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200, ext. 105

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A new biotech building has been approved in South San Francisco for a site sandwiched between Highway 101, Grand Avenue and the recently revamped Caltrain station.

The eight-story structure will rise from a long-vacant 1.9-acre parcel at 580 Dubuque Ave. and will overlook the freeway and train tracks when complete. It will also be the first research and development project in the city to fully embrace two key priorities for the City Council, as the building will be both fully electric and include minimal parking to encourage public transit use.

“It really is going to set a standard for biotech development,” Council member James Coleman said. “Not just here in South San Francisco but throughout the Bay Area and throughout the country for what this industry can be: green, sustainable and for the community.”

The building will have 295,000 square feet of lab and office space, allowing room for roughly 842 employees, and include a four-story underground parking garage with 346 spaces.

Typically, developments of this size in the area would include 500 or more parking spots, but city planners said they hope 40% of employees will use transportation methods other than single-occupancy vehicles given the site’s proximity to the train station. Also noted is the potential to share parking facilities with neighboring sites.

“We have a very, aggressively low parking ratio,” said Justine Nielsen, senior vice president with IQHQ, the developer overseeing the project. “[It] is below what our brokers tell us market is and certainly below what many of our competitors are doing.”

The building also goes above and beyond the city’s environmentally-minded rules requiring building electrification, which currently apply only to new residential developments. The council had stopped short of extending the rules to commercial buildings amid concerns of added strain to the electric grid, and concern that biotech uses could require natural gas for some lab operations.

The developer indicated adhering to 100% electric power would come at an additional upfront cost of $1.5 million.

Several improvements to surrounding pedestrian areas will be added, including a new landscaped path parallel to Dubuque Avenue. The site, which was used for industrial purposes prior to the 1990s and more recently stored construction equipment and material for Caltrain electrification work, will get 50 new trees planted.

The ground floor will house a cafe open to the public, and a fitness center and conference space will also be on the ground level along with outdoor seating space.

Councilmembers complimented the building’s architecture, which will feature “perforated metal fins” that will have the appearance of a rusty patina. Council member Mark Addiego said based on renderings, the design was in his top three for new structures in the area.

“Where it’s placed, where it’s right on top of the freeway will be equally noticed, so I can’t be anything but pleased and supportive and ready to see it come out of the ground,” he said. “I think IQHQ can see the long-term benefits of that parcel, but many people shied away from it because it had some very unique challenges.”

As part of the agreement, the developer will contribute a combined $16.8 million to various city funds to go to infrastructure, affordable housing and child care, among other things. The developer is also contributing $3.5 million to fund improvement to the adjacent Caltrain station

Overhead power lines serving the train station will also be placed underground, an endeavor the developer said will cost $5 million.

Nielsen said she hoped the building would be completed by August 2024.

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Several dozen South San Francisco residents who live on their boats, many of whom say they have nowhere else to go, are being evicted from Oyster Cove Marina to make way for a biotech campus expansion.

Residents of the private 200-slip marina were given just two weeks last month to sign a document agreeing to leave by Oct. 15 — or else face eviction after 30 days. And while 14 were offered $10,000 to relocate, many others, some of whom lost their legal “live-aboard” status in recent years, are being left out of the offer.

The move comes after Kilroy Realty purchased the marina, along with 50 acres adjacent, in 2018. The Southern California based developer is currently in the midst of building 3 million square feet of office and research space on the land.

“For me, I’m not going to be able to afford a place on land, that’s the end of my life here,” said Dave H., a resident of the marina since 2001 who did not want his last name published. The 77-year-old Vietnam veteran retired last year and now relies on Social Security and disability to afford his $500-a-month slip costs.

He’s also among those not being offered the monetary relocation assistance, despite having held a live-aboard permit for more than a decade. His current permit is for an “extended stay,” a downgrade sold as a way of being allowed to keep a second boat at the marina, according to several residents who are estimated to be 40 or more who live at the dock lack the paperwork to do so .

The marina now sits more than half empty, and those left aren’t being charged for their slip if they sign the agreement to vacate, which Kilroy recently extended the deadline for to July 31 following a call from the city to do so. Ten of the 14 offered checks have agreed to the offer.

But those who remain say they need more time to either find another marina or make arrangements to move elsewhere. And even those offered the checks contend it’s not enough to cover boat inspections and other costs associated with moving — assuming they could find an increasingly rare live-aboard slip to take them.

Just 10% of the nearby 455-slip Oyster Point Marina, which is the jurisdiction of the San Mateo County Harbor District, can legally be rented to live-aboard tenants, for instance, and the waitlist is years long.

That’s in part a product of multiple marina closures on the Peninsula in recent years, including Pete’s Harbor in Redwood City in 2015, which forced about 50 live-aboard residents out. Amid bitter litigation, Redwood City’s Docktown has also been in the process of moving out its 70 residents since 2013.

Lucia Lachmayr, a resident of Oyster Cove since 2012 and one of those not offered a check to leave, said many at the marina are in their 70s, are low income and some are disabled.

Corey Browning/Daily Journal

Lucia Lachmayr, a resident of Oyster Cove since 2012 and one of those not offered a check to leave, said many at the marina are in their 70s, are low income and some are disabled. As an instructor at Skyline College, she said she’s one of the lucky ones to have a good income and other housing options.

“There’s a lot of people here that are working poor,” she said. “They have no place to move to, so they’re just terrified, where are they going to go? The reality is some will become homeless and some will just say screw it, I’m going to go take my boat right out here in the channel and be an anchor-out.”

In Sausalito, the closure of marinas offering live-aboard slips and tightening enforcement around people unlawfully calling their boats home has led to both outcomes, as some have opted to brave the Bay waters by dropping anchor offshore, risking unsafe conditions that can often lead to boats being swept into rocky shores. It’s also led to encampments of ex-boaters who’ve become homeless following the loss of their vessels.

Lachmayr said some of those displaced elsewhere ended up at Oyster Cove, also around the time more residents began living on their boats without proper permitting.

While some expressed the leniency had been granted by the Oyster Cove harbormaster at the time to make accommodations that skirted the limits on live-aboard slips, Lachmayr said she felt it was done so to aid in the eventual evictions.

“This was intentional,” she said. “They got rid of the live-aboards so that when they did offer, it was only a few people that were left to make that offer to.”

Real estate firm Shorenstein originally gained approval to develop the area in 2011, but sold the land to Greenland Group in 2016. Plans at the time were for a 2.2-million square-foot campus aimed at the biotech sector, with the marina retained. Lachmayr said residents met with city planners as recently as 2018 and were assured there would not be displacement.

But the eviction notice, delivered June 16 on behalf of Oyster Cove Marina Owner LLC, states “as part of the planning for the neighborhood, we are currently reevaluating the long term use of the marina … we will not be providing return rights of any kind to existing tenants.”

A statement from Kilroy uses similar language and adds “we understand the uncertainty that these changes will introduce to our boat owners, which is why we are working with them to make their transition as painless as possible.”

South San Francisco Councilmember Eddie Flores said the city is actively working with Kilroy to reach better terms for the boaters, including an extension of the move out date to February next year and more assistance with relocation. He said city staff had provided a list of nearby marinas with openings.

“We will continue to use our voice and bring the dialogue so that Kilroy knows that these are very important residents, and we take care of our residents here in South City,” he said.

He noted, however, that ultimately the city has limited say in the matter because the marina is privately owned, and state tenant protections do not apply to those living on the water, regardless of live-aboard status.

“For those living on their boats without a permit, I’m also willing to discuss with Kilroy Reality whether any relief can also be provided to those boaters, but whether relief is possible is really unknown,” he said. He indicated a meeting with Kilroy had been set for next week.

In the meantime, Chris Robinson, a resident of the marina since the late 90s, said he’s both been unable to find another marina and unable to find affordable housing on land since being asked to leave.

“There’s no reasonable option that you can find any type of live-aboard slip,” he said. “It’s just a disappearing lifestyle.”

And while South San Francisco has looked to offer more affordable housing in recent years, units available often go to those who have been on waitlists for years. Additionally, even the most affordable studio (for those dubbed “extremely low-income” per state lingo) is nearly double the monthly rent of an Oyster Cove slip.

“Just living around here, the bigger picture I think people don’t realize … there’s really no longer a middle class, there’s really no longer a lower class,” Robinson said. “There’s either homeless, left the state, or high-income, and that is it. And that’s the way this whole Bay Area is going to become at this point.”

Kilroy Realty is currently in the second of four phases of construction on the waterfront campus. The company is worth approximately $6.3 billion and the second phase alone is projected to cost $900 million.

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A long-awaited Safeway, biotech campus and housing development in South San Francisco is poised to move forward, following a resolution by the City Council this week to override an airport committee decision that found the site was too loud for housing.

The project, slated to include 184 apartments, the grocery store and other retail, plus three six-story life science buildings, is the latest proposal for a long vacant 14-acre parcel at 180 El Camino Real.

The site was previously occupied by a Safeway that shuttered in 2014 ahead of anticipated redevelopment. The city had approved a project that was to include 284 new homes and 220,000 square feet of retail, which the previous owner was unable to move forward.

The latest plans were brought by SteelWave in 2021, a Foster City developer that has since purchased the site. The envisioned new Safeway would be 64,000 square feet — a flagship facility open 24 hours a day complete with a pharmacy, a representative from the grocer told planning commissioners last year.

The latest plans for the development at 180 El Camino Real in South San Francisco were brought by SteelWave

Another 10,000 square feet for other shops would also be included, and the apartments would be located in a seven-story building at the northeast corner of the lot, with parking provided in a separate garage.

The proposal, however, hit a potential snag earlier this month when the Airport Land Use Committee, with the City/County Association of Governments for the county, determined the location receives too much noise from airplanes to be suitable for housing.

The City Council this week unanimously agreed to override the decision, pointing to other benefits the location offers, including its proximity to the San Bruno BART station, which is less than a half mile away, and the grocery store on site increasing walkability.

“We’re really developing a new neighborhood that really will interface greatly with public transit,” said Councilmember Mark Addiego.

He also pointed to a 338-unit housing development approved in 2020 for 410 Noor Ave., a location adjacent to the Safeway project closer to the airport. The City Council at the time similarly overrode the airport committee’s decision.

“It’s not my favorite committee, let’s put it that way,” said Mayor Mark Nagales. “In terms of the projects we keep bringing in front of them, it’s pretty much a very strict definition, and if it doesn’t pass their definition it’s an automatic no vote.”

In 2021, a Foster City developer that has since purchased the site. The City Council this week unanimously agreed to override a decision by the Airport Land Use Committee, determining the location receives too much noise from airplanes to be suitable for housing, pointing to other benefits the location offers.

If the project were across the street from Huntington Avenue, it would be cleared per the committee’s criteria, said Billy Gross, the city’s principal planner. He said the site is reportedly subject to 70 decibels, and the developer’s intent is to reduce residential interior noise to 45 decibels or less.

The Shops at Tanforan is also roughly a half a mile away, closer to the San Francisco International Airport. It is planned for redevelopment into a biotech space and 1,000 units or more of housing. Closer still are existing neighborhoods of single-family homes.

City Attorney Sky Woodruff said the council’s override would not open the city to potential litigation.

The council’s action informs both the airport commission and Caltrans Division of Aeronautics of its intent. A formal vote on the matter will take place sometime in September, said Gross. The Planning Commission is also set to review the project next month.

corey@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200, ext. 105

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New 154,000-square-foot facility will provide a West Coast center with a focus on research, innovation, and commercial collaboration across corporate and program areas

TOKYO other SAN FRANCISCO, July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji YasukawaPh.D., “Astellas”) today announced plans to create an integrated biotechnology campus in South San Francisco as its West Coast innovation and research center. The new 154,000-square-foot building at 480 Forbes Boulevard will allow for the co-location of several Astellas business units and functions currently located independently throughout the san francisco area.

Astellas plans to create an integrated biotechnology campus in South San Francisco as its West Coast innovation and research center.

The new innovation and research center will include employees across research, technical operations, medical and development, commercial, and relevant administrative support functions. Astellas will invest approximately $70 million to create the new state-of-the-art facility, which will provide lab and co-working spaces to accommodate future growth as it advances a range of innovative cell and gene therapies for patients with limited or no treatment options, including rare diseases and cancer.

“By uniting our business units in the Bay Area, we are creating a dedicated West Coast center in the vibrant South San Francisco corridor alongside other leaders in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry,” said Yoshitsugu Shitaka, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Astellas. “Similar to the Astellas Biomedical Innovation Hub located in the greater Boston area, this new facility will foster even greater levels of collaboration among our world-class, multi-disciplinary teams working in cell and gene therapies, development of business opportunities and all those who support our endeavors to create value for patients.”

Astellas expects to complete the building and be operational in summer 2023. Astellas will be the sole occupant of the new building and will spend the next year equipping the interior with state-of-the-art research labs, office spaces, and other amenities specifically designed to accommodate the West Coast employees of Astellas Gene Therapies, Xyphos Biosciences, business development, Rx+® Business Accelerator, and the planned future growth within those units. In addition, the co-location of these businesses allows for more efficient use of space by combining the lab and office facilities into one new building, compared to current independent locations.

Astellas’ VISION is to be at the forefront of healthcare change and to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients. Under this vision, Astellas is focused on bringing life-changing cell and gene therapy treatments to patients suffering from diseases that lack treatment options.

Astellas has already reflected the impact from this matter in its financial forecast of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.

About Astellas
Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are promoting the Focus Area Approach that is designed to identify opportunities for the continuous creation of new drugs to address diseases with high unmet medical needs by focusing on Biology and Modality. Furthermore, we are also looking beyond our foundational Rx focus to create Rx+® healthcare solutions that combine our expertise and knowledge with cutting-edge technology in different fields of external partners. Through these efforts, Astellas stands on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into value for patients. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en.

About Astellas Gene Therapies
Astellas Gene Therapies is an Astellas Center of Excellence developing genetic medicines with the potential to deliver transformative value for patients. Our gene therapy drug discovery engine is built around innovative science, a validated AAV platform, and industry leading internal manufacturing capability with a particular focus on rare diseases of the eye, CNS and neuromuscular system. We will also be advancing additional Astellas gene therapy programs toward clinical investigation. We are based in san franciscowith manufacturing and laboratory facilities in South San Francisco, Calif.and Sanford, NC

About Xyphos Biosciences, Inc., to Astellas Company
Xyphos Biosciences Inc., located in South San Francisco, Calif., is at Astellas Center of Excellence for Cancer Cell Therapy developing medicines to cure solid tumors with a precision, off-the-shelf “Standard Pharmaceutical like Cell Therapy” platform, which can be easily tailored to the needs of individual patients and adapted to multiple disease targets. Utilizing a deep understanding of cancer biology and the tumor microenvironment, we are developing a flexible and versatile platform to direct the body’s immune cells to target single or multiple tumor antigens to fuel a stronger immune response, while avoiding immune rejection. By combining our ACCEL technology, a universal CAR (chimeric antigen receptor), and Universal Cells’ Universal Donor Cells (UDC) technology, we aim to create a unique platform that offers greater speed and flexibility compared to currently approved chimeric antigen receptor cell therapies and expands potential value for as many cancer patients as possible.

Cautionary Notes
In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management’s current assumptions and beliefs in the light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas’ intellectual property rights by third parties.

Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.

The post Astellas Unveils Plans to Open New Biotech Campus in South San Francisco appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

New research and development campus geared toward a biotech tenant could be headed for South San Francisco, with a seven-story, 166,000-square-foot building proposed for 101 Gull Drive in the city’s East Side neighborhood.

The proposal would develop what is now a vacant 3.7-acre lot surrounded by industrial uses. A 419 parking space 4.5-story parking garage would be attached to the building. Plans also indicate landscaping and outdoor seating areas.

Environmental impact studies are still being conducted, and the proposal will go before the Planning Commission for approvals during a future meeting. Construction is targeted to begin in late summer 2022, with completion in summer of 2024. The lot was sold in 2020 for $14.9 million.

Based on the city’s commercial linkage fees, the developer will be required to pay more than $2.7 million, funds which will be added to the city’s affordable housing fund.

The post Biotech campus proposed in South San Francisco | Native Information appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.