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Resolution making findings and approving a General Plan Amendment, Lindenville Specific Plan Amendment, Use Permit, Design Review, Tentative Parcel Map, and Transportation Demand Management Plan to construct a life science campus totaling approximately 1,700,000 square feet on a 17.67-acre site at 131 Terminal Court.
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WHEREAS, US 131 Terminal Court Owner, LLC (“Applicant”) has submitted an application requesting approval to redevelop a 17.67-acre industrial site in the Lindenville Sub-Area with up to 1.7 million square feet of R&D / office development, commercial amenities, open space improvements, and on- and off-site infrastructure improvements at 131 Terminal Court, which would require approval of Design Review, Vesting Tentative Map, Transportation Demand Management Plan, and a Development Agreement, as well as amendments of the General Plan, Lindenville Specific Plan, and Zoning Map to change the existing land use and zoning designations from Mixed Industrial High (“MIH”) to Business Technology Park - High (“BTP-H”) (“Infinite 131 Project”); and
WHEREAS, in addition to the 131 Terminal Court site, five parcels north of the project site at 120 Terminal Court, 196 Produce Avenue, 160 Produce Avenue, and 140 Produce Avenue would also be redesignated and rezoned from MIH to BTP-H (“Off-Site Redesignation Parcels”); and
WHEREAS, the proposed amendments to the General Plan, Lindenville Specific Plan, and Zoning Map would also be in keeping with the adjacent office /R&D project at 101 Terminal Court (“Infinite 101 Project”) that was entitled by the Planning Commission in September 2023; and
WHEREAS, approval of the entitlements for the Infinite 131 Project and the Off-Site Redesignation Parcels is considered a “Project” for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act, Pub. Resources Code §21000, et seq. (“CEQA”); and
WHEREAS, in accordance with CEQA, the City has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) which evaluates the significant and potentially significant impacts of the Project, the growth inducing impacts of the Project, the cumulative impacts of the Project, and alternatives to the proposed Project; and
WHEREAS, the DEIR was circulated for the required 45-day public comment period from June 20 to August 5, 2024; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a lawfully noticed public hearing on August 1, 2024, to solicit public comment on the DEIR; and
WHEREAS, the Design Review Board reviewed the Infinite 131 Project at its July 23, 2023 meeting and recommended approval of the project; and
WHEREAS, the San Mateo County Airport Land Use Commission reviewed the proposed legislative enactments associated with the Project on June 12, 2025, and found them consistent with the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan; and
WHEREAS, on September 4, 2025, the Planning Commission for the City of South San Francisco held a lawfully noticed public hearing at which time interested parties had the opportunity to be heard, to review the Project and to consider the Project EIR, as well as supporting documents. At the conclusion of the public hearing, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council certify the Project EIR and to approve the Project and its associated General Plan Amendments, Lindenville Specific Plan Amendments, and Zoning Map Amendments; and
WHEREAS, the City Council reviewed and carefully considered in the information in the DEIR and FEIR (EIR), and by separate resolution, certified the EIR and adopted a Statement of Overriding Considerations; and
WHEREAS, the City Council reviewed and carefully considered the proposed Specific Plan Amendments, General Plan Amendments, and Zoning Map Amendments; and
WHEREAS, on September 24, 2025, the City Council of the City of South San Francisco held a duly noticed public hearing at which time interested parties had the opportunity to be heard, to review the Project and the Project EIR, and to receive public comments; and
WHEREAS, the City Council exercised its independent judgment and analysis, and considered all reports, recommendations, and testimony before making a determination on the Project.
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 2040 General Plan and General Plan EIR; the South San Francisco Municipal Code; the Project applications; the Project Plans, as prepared by SOM Architects, dated August 25, 2025; the Draft Transportation Demand Management Plan prepared by Fehr & Peers, dated March 2024; the Infinite 131 Project EIR, including the Draft and Final EIR and all appendices thereto; the draft General Plan Amendments; the draft Lindenville Specific Plan Amendments; the draft Zoning Map Amendments; draft Development Agreement; all reports, minutes, and public testimony submitted as part of the Planning Commission’s duly noticed September 4, 2025 public hearing; all reports, minutes, and public testimony submitted as part of the City Council’s duly noticed September 24, 2025 public hearing; and any other evidence (within the meaning of Public Resources Code §21080(e) and §21082.2), the City Council 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 the General Plan Amendments (Exhibit A), Lindenville Specific Plan Amendments (Exhibit B), the Project Plan Set (Exhibit C), 101-131 Terminal Vesting Tentative Map (Exhibit D), Draft Transportation Demand Management Program (Exhibit E), and Draft Conditions of Approval (Exhibit F), 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.
4. By separate resolution, the City Council, exercising its independent judgement and analysis, has found that an EIR was prepared for the Project in accordance with CEQA, and the EIR adequately discloses and analyzes the proposed Project’s potentially significant environmental impacts, its growth inducing impacts, 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 City Council has further found that the benefits of approving the Project outweigh the Project’s significant and unavoidable impacts. Accordingly, the City Council certified the EIR for the Project and adopted a statement of overriding considerations, in accordance with CEQA.
B. General Plan Amendment
1. The proposed General Plan Amendment for the Project, attached hereto as Exhibit A, will modify the Land Use Element Figure 6 (General Plan Land Use) on pgs. 62-63 and the Planning Sub-Areas Element Lindenville Figure on pg. 100 to reflect the land use redesignation from Mixed Industrial High to Business and Technology Park - High. The amendments are intended as minor alterations to the General Plan to reflect the revised land use designation as proposed in the amendments to the Lindenville Specific Plan.
2. As required under State law, the South San Francisco General Plan, and the South San Francisco Municipal Code, in support of General Plan Amendments, the City Council finds that the proposed General Plan Amendments are otherwise consistent with the South San Francisco General Plan, do not obstruct or impede achievement of any General Plan policies, and furthers a number of important Goals and Policies set forth in the Land Use and Planning Sub-Areas Elements, including:
• Goal LU-5: South San Francisco remains a hub of R&D employment, operations, and innovation and is home to the largest worldwide cluster of life science uses.
• Policy LU-5.1: Maintain a critical mass of land zoned for R&D .
• Goal SA-27: There are safe, comfortable, and accessible pedestrian and bicycle facilities that connect people to Downtown, El Camino, and East of 101.
• Policy SA-27.4: Develop new roadway connections to better connect people to and within Lindenville.
C. Specific Plan Amendment
1. With minor revisions to the General Plan through the associated General Plan Amendments, the Lindenville Specific Plan as proposed to be amended, attached hereto as Exhibit B, will be consistent with the General Plan.
2. Adoption of the Lindenville Specific Plan Amendments will not be detrimental to the public interest, health, safety, convenience, or welfare of the City because the Lindenville Specific Plan Amendments do not alter any of the previously adopted development, land use, and performance standards related to new development. More specifically, the Lindenville Specific Plan Amendments reflect the change in land use designation from Mixed Industrial High to Business and Technology Park - High, in keeping with other existing parcels in the immediate area.
3. The Lindenville Specific Plan area, as evaluated as part of the CEQA process, is physically suitable for the proposed land use designation(s) and the anticipated development will redevelop underutilized industrial sites with a high-quality employment campus proximate to multi-modal transit, will assist in the implementation of new bicycle and pedestrian connections through the Lindenville sub-area, will update infrastructure and utilities, will provide publicly-accessible open space, and will contribute to the City’s public services and amenities.
4. The Lindenville Specific Plan Amendments does not make any changes to the development and design standards adopted within the existing Lindenville Specific Plan, and therefore will continue to be superior to development otherwise allowed under conventional zoning classifications since the Lindenville Specific Plan provides additional development and design standards to promote a mixture of high density residential, industrial, and life sciences development, and concurrently, proposes enhancements to circulation, parking, utilities, and public services to accommodate anticipated growth within the employment districts.
D. Design Review Findings
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- and bicycle-friendly, transit-oriented environment, new bicycle and pedestrian connections to the South San Francisco Caltrain Station and the rest of the Lindenville Specific Plan area, updated utilities and public infrastructure, and sustainable building and landscape design.
2. The Project, including Design Review, is consistent with the General Plan (as proposed with minor amendments) and the Lindenville Specific Plan (as proposed with minor amendments) because the proposed high-intensity development is consistent with the policies and design direction provided in the South San Francisco General Plan for the Business Technology Park High (BTP-H) land use designation by developing high-density corporate headquarters, research and development facilities, and offices within close proximity to the San Bruno BART Station and South San Francisco Caltrain Station.
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 the BTP-H Zoning District development standards, and the Citywide development standards, as evaluated in the Zoning Ordinance Compliance analysis for the Project.
4. The Project is consistent with the applicable design review criteria because the Project has been evaluated by the Design Review Board on July 23, 2023, and found to be consistent with each of the eight criteria set forth in South San Francisco Municipal Code Section 20.480.006 (Design Review Criteria).
E. Transportation Demand Management Plan Findings
1. The Infinite 131 Project’s proposed TDM program, attached hereto as Exhibit E, is feasible and appropriate for the project, considering the proposed use or mix of uses and the project’s location proximate to the San Bruno BART station, South San Francisco Caltrain station, introduction of commuter shuttles, and reduced on-site parking that will encourage alternative transportation modes and reduce single occupant vehicle use.
2. The proposed TDM program meets the points requirements for a Tier 4 office / R&D project (50 points).
3. The proposed performance measures will ensure that the target 50% alternative mode use established for the project 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 trip cap reporting.
F. Vesting Tentative Map
1. The proposed Infinite 101 and Infinite 131 Projects’ vesting tentative map, prepared by Ware Malcomb and dated August 25, 2025, (attached hereto as Exhibit D) including the proposed designs and improvements, is consistent with the City’s General Plan (as proposed to be amended) and the Lindenville Specific Plan (as proposed to be amended) because the vesting tentative map would facilitate the redevelopment of underutilized industrial parcels with transit-oriented office and R&D development, which would implement the goals of the General Plan and the Lindenville Specific Plan.
2. The proposed vesting tentative map is consistent with the standards and requirements of the City’s Zoning Ordinance (as proposed to be amended) and with the provisions of the Lindenville Specific Plan.
3. The vesting tentative map complies and meets all of the requirements of Title 19 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code (“Subdivisions”) and with the requirements of the State Subdivision Map Act.
4. The Project site is physically suitable for the type of development and density proposed, as the project will redevelop underutilized industrial parcels adjacent to the U.S. Highway 101 corridor and will improve vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle connections, which is envisioned in the General Plan and Lindenville Specific Plan.
5. The vesting tentative map is consistent with the analysis included in the Infinite 131 EIR, recommended for certification by separate resolution.
6. The design and improvements of the vesting tentative map are not in conflict with any existing public easements.
7. The property is located in a developed, urban setting, and is not subject to a Williamson Act contract, on open space easement, a conservation easement, or an agricultural conservation easement. The surrounding land uses and resulting parcels would not support agricultural uses; the resulting parcels would result in mixed-use development not incidental to commercial agricultural use of the land.
SECTION 2 DETERMINATION
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that subject to the Conditions of Approval, attached as Exhibit F to this Resolution, the City Council of the City of South San Francisco hereby makes the findings contained in this Resolution and approves the entitlements request for the 131 Terminal R&D project (P23-0003), including the General Plan Amendments, Lindenville Specific Plan Amendments, Design Review, Transportation Demand Management Plan, and Vesting Tentative Map.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage and adoption.