Google’s biotech brand moving to South City: Verily expected to soon begin relocation from Mountain View

And though the lease has yet to be signed, city officials are hopeful the deal is the harbinger of new business interest in South San Francisco, said Alex Greenwood, the city’s director of Economic and Community Development.

“This deal represents biotechnology and Silicon Valley coming together in exciting and new ways, and that is one of the things that distinguishes South San Francisco” said Greenwood.

Verily is currently housed in Mountain View, on the campus of Alphabet, the parent company of Google.

Under the proposed relocation, 400 workers are expected to move to South San Francisco in an initial wave, with the expectation that as many as 1,000 could eventually follow.

The former Onyx site is comprised of three buildings, with a fourth that is not yet fully entitled for construction, currently housing 400,000 square feet of space.

The existing infrastructure holds a capacity of accommodating roughly 1,300 employees, said Greenwood.

Though exciting, the relocation is not Google’s first foray into South San Francisco, Greenwood noted, as Calico Labs, one of the tech conglomerate’s research firms, announced a move to the city late in 2014.

Greenwood said there is a natural pairing between the life sciences and tech industries, surrounding management of large amounts of data, which could benefit from companies in those fields being headquartered in close proximity to each other.

“It’s a natural alliance and that is why we see Google coming in, first with Calico and now with Verily,” he said. “Both companies represent an exciting new partnership between biotechnology and high-tech.”

Verily has built a reputation of developing a staff of highly qualified and intelligent professionals whose life work is resolving critical health problems, which the city is proud to house, said Greenwood.

“This company is known for hiring a dream team of some of the most respected scientists in the nation,” he said. “People dedicated to making the world a better place. They are very idealistic in wanting to attack health problems, and come with the reputation of being a very compassionate and professional company.”

Request for comment on this article was not returned by Verily representatives.

Greenwood said the infrastructure in the area surrounding the former Onyx buildings, east of Highway 101, has the capacity to manage the influx of new workers who will be commuting to the site.

Google workers are also known for reliance on mass forms of transportation such as shuttles and bicycles which should reduce the demand on city streets, said Greenwood.

In the coming years, the city has more than $40 million worth of street improvements scheduled as well, he added.

As Verily’s relocation is expected to begin over the coming months, Greenwood said he anticipates the company’s exciting and ambitious work to begin in South San Francisco.

A global company investing again in South San Francisco also further cements the reputation of the city as a premier destination for innovative companies, said Greenwood.

“This helps us keep our edge in one of the most exciting areas in technology,” he said. “And it means more tech jobs will be coming into South City.”

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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