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Resolution making findings and approving Planning Project P18-0064, including Precise Plan PP20-0004, Use Permit UP19-0013, Design Review DR19-0035, and Transportation Demand Management Program TDM19-0006, for the construction of a new R&D / office building Gateway Specific Plan District (GSPD) Zoning District at 751 Gateway Boulevard.
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WHEREAS, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, or ARE (“Applicant”) has proposed to construct a seven-story, 208,800 square foot R&D / office building approximately 148 feet in height on a 7.4-acre site on 751 Gateway Boulevard (“Project”); and,
WHEREAS, the proposed Project is located within the Gateway Specific Plan District (GSPD) Zoning District; and,
WHEREAS, Applicant seeks approval of a Precise Plan (PP20-0004), Conditional Use Permit (UP19-0013), Design Review (DR19-0035), and Transportation Demand Management Program (TDM19-0006) for the Project; and,
WHEREAS, approval of the applicant’s proposal is considered a “project” for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act, Pub. Resources Code §21000, et seq. (“CEQA”); and,
WHEREAS, on January 21, 2021 the Planning Commission for the City of South San Francisco held a lawfully noticed public hearing to solicit public comment and consider the Environmental Impact Report (EIR19-0005) (“EIR”) and the proposed entitlements, take public testimony, and approve the Project; and,
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission reviewed and carefully considered the information in the EIR, and by separate resolution, considered the Project’s environmental impacts and certified the EIR including adoption of a Statement of Overriding Considerations and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission reviewed and carefully considered the requested entitlements at the duly noticed public hearing on January 21, 2021, and all related testimony and evidence presented in the record and during the hearing.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that based on the entirety of the record before it, which includes without limitation, the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code §21000, et seq. (“CEQA”) and the CEQA Guidelines, 14 California Code of Regulations §15000, et seq.; the South San Francisco General Plan and General Plan EIR; the South San Francisco Municipal Code; the Project applications; the 751 Gateway Boulevard Plan Set, as prepared by RMW Architecture & Interiors, dated December 6, 2019 the Proposed Transportation Demand Management Plan, as prepared by Silvani Transportation Consultants, dated December 2019; the 751 Gateway Boulevard Project EIR, including the Draft and Final EIR and all appendices thereto; all site plans; and any other evidence (within the meaning of Public Resources Code §21080(e) and §21082.2), the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby finds as follows:
SECTION 1 FINDINGS
A. General Findings
1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and made a part of this Resolution.
2. The Exhibits attached to this Resolution, including Conditions of Project Approval (Exhibit A), Plan Set (Exhibit B), and the Proposed Transportation Demand Management Plan (Exhibit C) are each incorporated by reference and made a part of this Resolution, as if set forth fully herein.
3. The documents and other material constituting the record for these proceedings are located at the Planning Division for the City of South San Francisco, 315 Maple Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080, and in the custody of the Chief Planner, Tony Rozzi.
By a separate resolution, the Planning Commission, exercising its independent judgment and analysis, has found that an EIR was prepared for the Project in accordance with CEQA, in which the EIR adequately discloses and analyzes the proposed Project’s potentially significant environmental impacts, its growth inducing impacts, and its cumulative impacts, and analyzed alternatives to the Project. For those impacts that could potentially exceed CEQA thresholds of significance, where feasible the City has identified and imposed mitigation measures that avoid or reduce the impact to a level of less-than-significant. The Planning Commission has further found that the benefits of approving the Project outweigh the Project’s significant and unavoidable impacts.
4. The proposed Project is consistent and compatible with all elements in the City of South San Francisco General Plan as it is consistent with the Business Commercial land use designation, and R&D / office uses in the East of 101 Area help the City implement several broad General Plan goals, including but not limited to: maintaining a balanced land use program that provides opportunities for continued economic growth, and building intensities that reflect South San Francisco’s prominent inner bay location and excellent regional access.
5. The proposed Project is consistent with the standards and requirements of the City's Zoning Ordinance and with the provisions of the East of 101 Area Plan. The development of the Project Site would result in the construction of approximately 208,800 gross sq. ft. of R&D / office space, and would meet minimum design standards.
6. The site is physically suitable for the type of development and density proposed, as the 751 Gateway project will benefit from being located in the East of 101 Area and within the Gateway Campus, and the size of the office/ R&D campus is appropriate for the location and meets the City’s land use and zoning standards.
B. Precise Plan
1. The 751 Gateway Precise Plan is compatible with the intent and purpose of the Gateway Specific Plan because the project has been designed to promote campus-style uses, such as biotechnology and research and development uses, and amenity uses will provide campus-serving amenities, and provides pedestrian and bicycle connections and linkages.
2. The proposed development and/or construction standards of the Precise Plan are designed to achieve compliance with the development and/or construction standards of the Gateway Specific Plan because the site layout and overall architecture will help shape the urban character of the East of 101 Area, the overall Precise Plan FAR of 1.2 is consistent with the Gateway Specific Plan, and the proposed amenity building height of approximately 148 feet is well below the 250-foot maximum allowable height limit.
3. The Precise Plan is consistent with the Gateway Specific Plan, and will fulfill all conditions of approval and mitigation measures, as well as contribute monetary responsibilities including transportation impact fees, public improvements in the East of 101 area, childcare fees, park in-lieu fees, commercial linkage fees, and TDM reporting and monitoring requirements.
4. The Precise Plan is consistent with the City of South San Francisco General Plan. The 1999 General Plan includes policies and programs that are designed to encourage the development of high technology campuses in the East of 101 Area.
C. Use Permit
1. The proposed Project is consistent with the standards and requirements of the City’s Zoning Ordinance and with the design provisions of the East of 101 Area Plan. The Project meets or exceeds all of the general development standards of the GSPD Zoning District, with the exception of a request for a parking reduction. The request for a parking reduction is permissible and warranted by the City’s Zoning Ordinance because the Project incorporates a robust Transportation Demand Management Program designed to encourage all employees to rely on alternatives forms of transportation, the project includes contributions to and participation in first- and last-mile transit connection strategies, and the project is proximate to the South San Francisco Caltrain station, which is a major transit station.
2. The proposed Project is consistent with the General Plan for the reasons stated in Findings A4 - A6 above and is consistent with the East of 101 Area Plan.
3. The proposed office/ R&D use will not be adverse to the public health, safety, or general welfare of the community, nor detrimental to surrounding properties or improvements, for the reasons stated in Finding A6 above.
4. The proposed Project complies with applicable standards and requirements of the City’s Zoning Ordinance, with the exception of parking requirements, which are permissible and warranted by the Zoning Ordinance as discussed below. The exception for the number of parking spaces is allowable under the City’s Municipal Code Section 20.330.006(D), and warranted based on the following findings:
a. The parking reduction will serve to support and promote the Project’s TDM program.
b. The Project provides approximately 70% of the required parking spaces and is required, through the TDM program, to achieve an ultimate alternative mode use of 40%. The site is not anticipated to result in a shortfall of on-site parking or create the need for overflow parking off-site.
c. The proposed project parking of 2.0 spaces per 1,000 sq. ft. for R&D / office uses will be adequate for the proposed use because of the offered alternative transportation solutions, and because the applicant will manage and monitor on-site parking. The Project is required to implement a TDM Program on an on-going basis over the life of the Project with a required ultimate alternative mode shift of 40 percent. The TDM requirements applicable to the Project, the fact that similar reduced standards have been accepted and/or successfully applied within several large developments in the City, including other nearby Genentech developments and other ARE-owned campuses such as Merck and Verily, and parking data that shows there is sufficient parking within the Gateway Campus all support a reduced parking standard.
d. The reduced parking rate reinforces the overall efforts of the City’s General Plan and the TDM Ordinance, which encourage reduced parking standards as an effective tool in encouraging use of alternative modes of transportation other than single occupancy vehicles and reducing VMT.
e. The number of parking spaces provided by the proposed project will serve all existing, proposed and potential uses as effectively and conveniently as would the standard number of parking spaces required Section 20.330 of the SSFMC. As described above, there is ample evidence to support the proposed parking reduction, and there is added concern that an overabundance of parking could have a deleterious effect on the goals and objectives of the City’s TDM efforts since such would serve as a disincentive to use of alternative transportation modes, and would increase the number of single-occupancy vehicle trips and VMT due to commuting.
5. The design, location, size, and operating characteristics of the proposed Project are compatible with the existing and reasonably foreseeable future land uses in the vicinity because the Project will provide an R&D / office building including employee-serving amenities, in close proximity to other office and research and development uses and amenities.
6. The site is physically suitable for the type of development and density proposed, as the development of a high quality R&D / office building is in keeping with existing development within the East of 101 Area and the GSPD Zoning District.
7. The Project complies with CEQA for the reasons stated in Finding A.3 above.
D. Design Review
1. The Project, including Design Review, is consistent with Title 20 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code because the Project has been designed as a high quality R&D / office development, which will provide a pedestrian-friendly campus, on-site amenities, contribute to bicycle facilities on Gateway Boulevard and upgrades to pedestrian and bicycle facilities on Poletti way, and sustainable building and landscape design.
2. The Project, including Design Review, is consistent with the General Plan and the East of 101 Area Plan, because the proposed R&D / office development is consistent with the policies and design direction provided in the South San Francisco General Plan Business Commercial land use designation by encouraging new office/R&D facilities with campus-serving amenities and connections to transit hubs.
3. The Project, including Design Review, is consistent with the applicable design guidelines adopted by the City Council in that the proposed Project is consistent with Design Guidelines, including the design and development standards outlined in the East of 101 Area Plan and the Gateway Specific Plan District.
4. The Project is consistent with the Use Permit for the reasons stated in
Findings C1-C7 above.
5. The Project is consistent with the applicable design review criteria in South San Francisco Municipal Code Section 20.480.006 (“Design Review Criteria”) because the project has been evaluated by the Design Review Board on October 15, 2019, and found to be consistent with each of the eight design review criteria included in the “Design Review Criteria” section of the Ordinance.
E. Transportation Demand Management Plan
1. The proposed trip reduction measures contained in the TDM Plan (attached hereto as Exhibit C) are feasible and appropriate for the Project, considering the proposed use and the project’s location, size, and hours of operation. Appropriate and feasible measures have been included in the TDM Plan to achieve a projected 40 percent alternative mode usage, as required. The TDM Plan provides incentives for employees to use modes of transportation other than single-occupancy vehicle trips, such as secure bicycle storage, shower facilities, preferential parking for carpools and vanpools, and an employee TDM contact, among others. The TDM Plan also uses a lower parking ratio to increase ridership on Caltrain, BART, and other transit services. Further, a central pick-up and drop-off area on site, as well as improved connections to shuttle stops, and improvements to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure will help encourage alternative forms of transportation.
2. The proposed performance guarantees will ensure that the target 40 percent alternative mode use established for the Project by Chapter 20.400 will be achieved and maintained. Conditions of approval have been included to require that the Final TDM Plan, which must be submitted for review and approval prior to issuance of a building permit, shall outline the required process for on-going monitoring including annual surveys and triennial reports.
SECTION 2 DETERMINATION
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that subject to the Conditions of Approval, attached as Exhibit A to this Resolution, the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby makes the findings contained in this Resolution, and approves entitlements request for 751 Gateway Boulevard.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage and adoption.