Plans to convert 250,000 square feet of office space to laboratory use at the Gilead Science campus in Foster City have received final City Council zoning use approval.
Around 204,000 square feet of unused office would become laboratory use, while 45,000 square feet of existing office space would be reclassified to potential future redevelopment as laboratory use.
Councilmember Sam Hindi praised the communication between Gilead and the city, noting there would be a minimal environmental impact regarding water use and traffic, a council concern. The city said a study showed there would be less transportation and water use compared to the current conditions.
“It is simply a reallocation of use of the space from office to research and development, and this is really what Gilead’s business is,” Hindi said. “For me, this is straightforward.”
Gilead’s address is 300 to 368 Lakeside Drive and 301 to 309 Velocity Way, which is around 72 acres of land divided into a north and south campus. The switch would take place on the south side and would not affect the total square footage of the site. The campus is around 2.5 million square feet, with about 1.4 million square feet currently used for labs and 1 million for office use. Gilead is one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in the world and has its headquarters in Foster City.
The city said that Gilead has been building out its campus over the years and consolidating lab use to the southern portion of the campus, continuing with this zoning change.
“This request will allow us to create synergies amongst our research teams that are necessary for the science and innovation to take place,” said Lucerne Tsang, a senior director with Gilead.
Tsang said Gilead wants to work with the city on long-term plans in the future, with the council also noting it would be beneficial to continue its partnership.
“I think you are a great asset to the city of Foster City,” Vice Mayor Patrick Sullivan said.
The Planning Commission on Dec. 15 reviewed the application and changes and recommended making the switch, with the council providing final approval on Jan. 17 with a vote of 5-0.
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