Title
Report regarding a Master Sign Program Amendment application to increase the size of one previously approved skyline sign (aka TS8) from 360 square feet to 700 square feet for the Genesis Campus at 1-3 Tower Place in the Business Technology Park - High (BTP-H) Zoning District in accordance with Title 20 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code and determination that the project is categorically exempt from CEQA per CEQA Guidelines Section 15311, Class 11. (Emily Lane, Associate Planner)
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MOTION TO ADOPT STAFF RECOMMENDATION
1. Move to determine the project is exempt from CEQA.
2. Move to approve the Master Sign Program amendment subject to the attached Findings and Conditions of Approval.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission take the following actions:
1. Move to find that the Project (P26-0067) is categorically exempt from CEQA per CEQA Guidelines Section 15311, Class 11 (a), On-Premise Signs.
2. Move to make findings and approve the amendment to the previously approved Master Sign Program to increase the size of sign TS8 from 360 sf to 700 sf at the Genesis Campus at 1-3 Tower Place subject to the attached Conditions of Approval.
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BACKGROUND
The Genesis Campus is located at 1-3 Tower Place, west of Airport Boulevard and adjacent to U.S. Highway 101 and San Bruno Mountain. In January 2020, the Planning Commission approved a Master Sign Program and Design Review for the campus under P19-0036: SIGNS19-0015 and DR19-0049. The approved Master Sign Program established a comprehensive signage program for the campus, including skyline signage, campus identification, wayfinding, ground-level tenant, parking structure, and crown-level tenant signage.
As part of the original Master Sign Program review in 2019, the Design Review Board recommended reductions to the North Tower crown signage. The approved program established three potential crown-level sign locations at 2 Tower Place, identified as TS8, TS9, and TS10, with no more than two locations permitted to be occupied at one time. TS8 is currently limited to approximately 9 feet by 40 feet, or 360 square feet (Ref. Attachments 5, Previously Approved Genesis Master Sign Program).
The applicant, Arrow Sign Company, is requesting an amendment to increase the maximum sign area for TS8 from 360 square feet to 700 square feet, with maximum dimensions of approximately 10 feet by 70 feet. The permitted dimensions and sign areas for TS9 and TS10 would remain unchanged. All other provisions of the approved Genesis Campus Master Sign Program would also remain unchanged (Ref. Attachment 2, Amended Master Sign Program).
ZONING CONSISTENCY
South San Francisco Municipal Code (SSFMC) Section 20.360.003(B), Master Sign Program, provides a process for a Master Sign Program to integrate the design and placement of signs within a project with the overall development design to achieve a unified appearance. The proposed amendment maintains the existing crown-level sign location and overall signage framework established by the previously approved Genesis Campus Master Sign Program. The amendment would increase the allowable sign area for TS8 but would not add a new sign location or increase the number of crown-level signs permitted at 2 Tower Place. The proposed increased size is compatible with the size and scale of the development.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The project site is located within the Paradise Valley/Terrabay sub-area of the South San Francisco General Plan and has a Business Technology Park High land use designation. The Project is consistent with the guiding and implementing policies in the General Plan as it supports the continued use of the Genesis Campus for campus-style employment uses, including biotechnology, high-technology, and research and development uses. The proposed amendment to the Master Sign Program will not result in any substantive changes to the existing development, and the overall project will remain consistent with the intent and purpose of the Business Technology Park High land use designation.
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
The Design Review Board (DRB) considered the proposed amendment to the Genesis Master Sign Program at its meeting on September 15, 2026. The DRB expressed no objection to the proposed increase in maximum sign area for TS8 and recommended approval of the revised Master Sign Program. The DRB requested that the applicant provide additional graphics showing a representative tenant sign at the proposed location, including daytime and nighttime renderings, and submit the revised materials for review (Ref. Attachment 1, Design Review Board Recommendation).
Following the meeting, the applicant provided supplemental renderings for a proposed sign at the TS8 location (Ref. Attachment 3, TS8 Sign Preliminary Design). The supplemental plans include a detailed sign elevation and specifications, a full building elevation, and daytime and nighttime renderings of the sign as viewed on the North Tower. The DRB subsequently reviewed the supplemental materials and found them acceptable for the project to proceed to the Planning Commission for consideration.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The project proposes signage for an existing approved and CEQA cleared project. A categorical exemption for onsite signage per CEQA Section 15311, Class 11(a), applies to this Master Sign Program Amendment.
CONCLUSION
The applicant has worked with staff and the Design Review Board to prepare a focused amendment to the Genesis Campus Master Sign Program that maintains the established signage framework while allowing additional flexibility for tenant identification at 2 Tower Place. The proposed amendment remains compatible with the scale and architecture of the campus and will continue to provide functional and coordinated signage for tenants and visitors. Staff recommends that the Planning Commission approve the amended Master Sign Program, subject to the attached Findings and Conditions of Approval (Ref. Attachment 4).
Attachments
1. Design Review Board Comment Letter, dated September 25, 2026
2. Amended Genesis Master Sign Program, dated July 8, 2026
3. Supplemental Sign Renderings, dated September 17, 2026
4. Findings and Conditions of Approval
5. Previously Approved Gensis Master Sign Program, dated January 16, 2020