Planning Commission Regular Meeting: Oyster Point Redevelopment Phases 2D-4D Approval (March 5, 2020)
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South San Francisco Planning Commission Regular Meeting – March 5, 2020
The Planning Commission met to consider the Precise Plan and Design Review for Phases 2D, 3D, and 4D of the Oyster Point Redevelopment Project. The proposed development includes 1,707,000 square feet of Office/R&D space, 48,000 square feet of amenity space, two parking garages accommodating 4,445 spaces, and improvements to the waterfront trail and open spaces. Staff presented the project as consistent with the 2011 Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and recommended approval based on a 2020 Environmental Checklist finding no new significant impacts.
Consent Calendar
- The agenda included a consent calendar item: acceptance of the 2019 Housing Element Annual Progress Report. No discussion or action on this item appears in the provided transcript.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke or submitted speaker cards during the public hearing for this item.
Discussion Items
- Oyster Point Redevelopment Project – Phases 2D, 3D, and 4D
- Staff Presentation (Billy Gross): Detailed background of the 2011 approvals, phase 1C infrastructure improvements (new streets, utilities, open space) with completion by early 2022, and phase 1D construction (508,000 sq ft) underway. For the current phases, phase 2D (775,000 sq ft, three buildings, 10-level parking), phase 3D (428,000 sq ft, two buildings, nine-level parking shared with phase 4D), and phase 4D (464,000 sq ft, two buildings). The design includes publicly accessible “science rooms” (pedestrian spaces), a bay trail, wind mitigation strategies, and public art. The project had been reviewed by the Design Review Board (November 2019) and BCDC (one month prior). BCDC comments focused on shoreline access and the appropriate level of amenities; they asked staff to revisit parking numbers. No final BCDC determination has been made. Staff recommended adoption of two resolutions: one for CEQA findings (within scope of 2011 EIR) and one for Precise Plan and Design Review approval.
- Applicant Presentation (Jonas Boss, Jonathan Ward, Richard Kennedy): Emphasized design inspiration from global life science campuses, creation of “science rooms” for interaction, wind studies showing comfortable stopping areas (green/blue) and windier movement zones (red/orange), sea level rise resilience (buildings designed to 2100 levels, bay trail to 2050 with adaptability), and landscape concept of “coves and vantage points.” Materials palette chosen for timelessness and warmth.
- Commission Questions and Discussion:
- Commissioner Faria asked about city vs. developer responsibility for open space maintenance – clarified that Kilroy (developer) will maintain all phases on their property.
- Chair Wong and Commissioner Shihadeh raised concerns about the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan, noting it is preliminary and will be detailed at the building permit stage. Child care services are not included; an in-lieu fee may apply. The project requires a 45% alternative mode split.
- Commissioner Murphy inquired about Design Review Board comments on the amphitheater and pedestrian safety at crosswalks; applicant explained that crossing at corners is safer and the amphitheater is an attraction to draw pedestrians into the site.
- Commissioner Shihadeh asked about traffic congestion mitigation in the evening. Staff noted adaptive signaling, improvements to Caltrain (from 1 to 4 trains/hour by 2023), ferry service increases, and ongoing studies for a potential Community Facilities District (Mobility 2020) to fund additional improvements.
- Commissioner Bernardo expressed support, noting the project advances the vision for Oyster Point as a destination with a blend of business, science, and recreation.
- Commissioner Tzang praised the wind testing and suggested considering mild curves in building design for aesthetic surprise.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous Approval of Two Resolutions:
- CEQA Resolution: The Commission adopted a resolution determining that the Oyster Point Redevelopment Phases 2D, 3D, and 4D Precise Plans Project is fully within the scope of the 2011 EIR and that the 2020 Environmental Checklist (together with the 2011 EIR) serves as the appropriate environmental document; no further CEQA analysis is required. (Vote: 6-0-1, Vice Chair Evans absent.)
- Precise Plan and Design Review Resolution: The Commission adopted a resolution making findings and approving Precise Plan PP19001 and Design Review DR19034, subject to the attached draft conditions of approval. (Vote: 6-0-1, Vice Chair Evans absent.)
- Next Steps: The developer must obtain final BCDC approvals before commencing any phases that affect the bay front (phases 3D and 4D). Staff noted that the March 19 and possibly April 2 Planning Commission meetings may be canceled.
Meeting Transcript
Chair Wong and fellow commissioners. My name is Billy Gross with the planning division. I'll be presenting this evening. So I'm going to start off giving you a little bit of background of when this project was originally approved, kind of how we got to this point. So this first aerial shows the Oyster Point Peninsula basically as it existed when the project was originally approved back in twenty eleven. Portions of the city owned sites were under separate leases that were controlled by a third party. And so at that time, the city entered into an agreement with at that point, it was S. K. Schornstein. But we also created a lot of plans for public improvements on the site. So in 2011, March of 2011, the city council approved a general plan amendment, a zoning amendment, use permits, transportation demand management plan, phase one precise plan, a disposition and development agreement, development agreement, and other entitlements to allow the construction of approximately 2.25 million square feet of a lab campus across an approximately 45-acre developer-owned site. And that's what you see as the office RD phase one, two, three, and four on this drawing. In addition, two phases of infrastructure and open space improvements were approved throughout the site and across the adjacent 40-acre site owned by the city. So breaks up into phases 1C, 2C, and then 1D through 4D. Note that a C after a phrase after a phase refers to activities involving the city and/or former redevelopment agency lands, and a D refers to the developer. So first we'll start with the phase one C improvements, which includes infrastructure improvements. So new streets and utilities, clay cap repairs over the existing landfill, reconfigured parking areas, and open space improvements. If you look at Oyster Point Boulevard as it currently goes, and then look at this drawing, there is a reconfiguration of Oyster Point where it goes further out towards the water and then T's to go north-south and east west. So that's one of the big portions, and it's part of that, all new utilities within that new right-of-way. But also phase one C includes a lot of open space improvements, new recreation areas, beach park areas, improved bay trail, and a palm promenade. Construction work began on this phase in November of 2017. It is anticipated that we would switch over to the new Oyster Point Road in the first quarter of 2021. And all work, including all the open space improvements, would be complete by early 2022. And this is showing the the one C in a little bit more detail. And this is a uh artist rendering of what that could look like when it was complete. I will also note uh that the original approvals included a future hotel site, which anticipated a hotel of up to 350 rooms on the highlighted parcel. The city has entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement, exclusive negotiating rights agreement with uh a company or developer called Ensemble and staff anticipates bringing entitlements forward to the planning commission and city council for that hotel project later in uh 2020. Now we'll start getting into the the developer project. Phase 1D is currently under construction and it includes uh 508,000, a minimum of 508,000 square feet of office RD buildings. Uh this is anticipated to be complete by late 2021. Uh and this is a uh earlier uh aerial renderer or graphic representation of what that would look like with the three separate buildings over a podium parking. So tonight the developer Kilroy is before the planning commission to review their proposed precise plans for the remaining developer parcels, which are phases 2D, 3D, and 4D. This shows the separate phases in a little bit more detail. So phase 2D is shown in blue, just to the north of the reconfigured Oyster Point Boulevard and phase 1D. Phase 3D is shown in purple, and phase 40 is shown in orange. So this is a uh graphic over the overall site plan, and we'll go into more specifics for each, starting with phase two D. This will comprise the largest sub-development within the entire project with three buildings totaling approximately 775,000 square feet of a lab campus and a 10-level parking structure. Um the parking area is the building that's at the uh bottom left of the four, and the other three are the uh the interior of the 2D site will create the primary open space area and will also include approximately 48,000 square feet of amenity space. So where you says F that's a food embedded, and then says gym that's also uh space one rendering. I'm gonna allow the uh applicant and the architectural team to go through all that. They have a lot of these types of images, but I wanted to have at least one that shows a little bit more graphically what um the intent of of the aesthetic is and and how this uh improvement will will look over the full portion. Um this is a rendering looking across from phase 1D into the interior of phase 2D. The building at the forefront is representational of the architectural scale and detailing proposed throughout the campus, while the parking structure and first of the amenity buildings are shown uh to the left. But again, the applicant team will go into more detail on those portions. And then same, there are some uh these are some representational open space renderings. This is more of the interior spaces between the buildings uh to give an idea uh and more to come with the applicants' presentation. Moving a little bit north, we move into phase 3D, which consists of two six-story buildings with about 428,000 square feet of on the west side of Oyster Point Boulevard. To the east of the reconfigured Oyster Point Boulevard is a nine-level parking structure. This would serve both phases 3D and 4D. And then further north is phase 4D, which would consist of two buildings totaling approximately 464,000 square feet.
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