New Millbrae biotech approved

“It’s exciting to see this project,” said Planning Commission Chair Jean Joh. “It’s nice to have life sciences coming to Millbrae.”

 The campus will be comprised of four buildings spread over 4.7 acres, three six-story and one two-story, plus a 10-level, 927-stall parking garage. The existing six single-story industrial buildings will be removed. Construction on the project is expected to begin early next year, with the completion late in 2024. 

“There is a shortage of biotech space out there right now, and that is why we’re very excited to build this,” said Jordan Toon, vice president of real estate development and design at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, the developer that will develop and operate the campus.

Also included with the development will be an outdoor plaza at the corner of Rollins Road and Millbrae Avenue leading into the smaller building that will be entirely for amenities. That building will include a conference center and a cafe to be open to the public and a gym for employees. The other buildings will be 60% laboratory space and 40% office space.

A portion of the site to be developed, the parcels at 201 and 231 Adrian Road, were sold to Alexandria in October for $21 million, according to the county Assessor’s Office. One of the properties is currently home to newspaper World Journal, one of the largest Chinese language papers outside of Greater China.

Alexandria will pay upwards of $7 million in impact fees to the city, money that will help fund various infrastructure needs or city services. Additionally, the developer will pay nearly $1.5 million into the city’s affordable housing fund, a fund currently empty, said Community Development Director Darcy Smith.

The development will be powered solely by electricity, with on-site solar panels supplementing energy needs. Twenty-one trees will be removed, replaced by 76 new trees and other landscaping described as drought tolerant. Renderings also indicate roof plantings on the amenities building. 

The Planning Commission voted 4-1 to move the project ahead, with Commissioner Christoper Delnagro voting no. Delnagro said he was concerned that the parking garage was planned to have only one entrance/exit point and there were no planned drop-off locations for ride-hail services. He said he would prefer at least one additional exit from the garage for safety.

The developer said they would work to identify a ride-hail point, and that the garage had been designed by a consultant who is an expert in the field, and a second exit was not part of recommendations. 

Plans for another biotech building across the street at 210 Adrian Road have also been submitted to the city, but have yet to be approved. The proposal calls for a five-story, 260,000-square foot structure. That property, currently a self-storage facility, was sold to Longfellow Real Estate Partners for $80 million this year, according to the Assessor’s Office.

Other nearby developments include the Gateway at Millbrae Station, a sweeping mixed-use project currently under construction on 11 acres on the north side of Millbrae Avenue. When complete, four buildings will comprise a hotel, retail space and 400 units of housing.

Several other large apartment buildings are also slated to begin construction in coming years within blocks of the site.

corey@smdailyjournal.com

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