HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Meeting 04-21-22 (Reso 2880-2022) - 101 Gull DriveCity of South San Francisco
Resolution No. 2880-2022
P.O. Box 711 (City Hall, 400
Grand Avenue)
South San Francisco, CA
File #:22-242 Agenda Date:4/21/2022
Version:1 Item #:3b.
Resolution making findings and approving Planning Project P21-0006, including Use Permit
UP21-0003, Design Review DR21-0009, and Transportation Demand Management Program
TDM21-0003, for the construction of a new office / R&D building within the Business Technology Park
(BTP) Zoning District at 101 Gull Drive.
WHEREAS, Sanfo Group LLC (“Applicant”) has proposed to construct a seven-story, 166,613-square-foot
office / R&D building approximately 128 feet in height with an attached 4.5-story 419-stall parking garage on a
3.8-acre site located at 101 Gull Drive (“Project”); and,
WHEREAS, the proposed Project is located within the Business Technology Park (BTP) Zoning District; and,
WHEREAS, Applicant seeks approval of a Conditional Use Permit (UP21-0003), Design Review (DR21-
0009), and Transportation Demand Management Program (TDM21-0003) for the Project; and,
WHEREAS, approval of the applicant’s proposal is considered a “project” for purposes of the California
Environmental Quality Act, Pub. Resources Code §21000, et seq. (“CEQA”); and,
WHEREAS, on April 21, 2022, the Planning Commission for the City of South San Francisco held a lawfully
noticed public hearing to solicit public comment and consider the Environmental Impact Report (EIR21-0002)
(“EIR”) and the proposed entitlements, take public testimony, and approve the Project; and,
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission reviewed and carefully considered the information in the EIR, and by
separate resolution, considered the Project’s environmental impacts and certified the EIR including adoption of
a Statement of Overriding Considerations and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission reviewed and carefully considered the requested entitlements at the duly
noticed public hearing on April 21, 2022, and all related testimony and evidence presented in the record and
during the hearing.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that based on the entirety of the record before it, which includes
without limitation, the California Environmental Quality Act, Public Resources Code §21000, et seq.
(“CEQA”) and the CEQA Guidelines, 14 California Code of Regulations §15000, et seq.; the South San
Francisco General Plan and General Plan EIR; the South San Francisco Municipal Code; the Project
applications; the 101 Gull Drive Project Plans, as prepared by DGA planning | architecture | interiors dated
October 8, 2021; the Proposed Transportation Demand Management Plan, as prepared by Fehr & Peers, dated
January 11, 2022; the 101 Gull Drive Project EIR, including the Draft and Final EIR and all appendices thereto;
City of South San Francisco Page 1 of 5
File #:22-242 Agenda Date:4/21/2022
Version:1 Item #:3b.
April 15, 2022; the 101 Gull Drive Project EIR, including the Draft and Final EIR and all appendices thereto;
all site plans; and any other evidence (within the meaning of Public Resources Code §21080(e) and §21082.2),
the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby finds as follows:
SECTION 1 FINDINGS
A.General Findings
1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and made a part of this Resolution.
2. The Exhibits attached to this Resolution, including Conditions of Project Approval (Exhibit A), Plan Set
(Exhibit B), and the Proposed Transportation Demand Management Plan (Exhibit C) are each
incorporated by reference and made a part of this Resolution, as if set forth fully herein.
3. The documents and other material constituting the record for these proceedings are located at the
Planning Division for the City of South San Francisco, 315 Maple Avenue, South San Francisco, CA
94080, and in the custody of the Chief Planner, Tony Rozzi.
4. By a separate resolution, the Planning Commission, exercising its independent judgment and analysis,
has found that an EIR was prepared for the Project in accordance with CEQA, in which the EIR
adequately discloses and analyzes the proposed Project’s potentially significant environmental impacts,
its growth inducing impacts, and its cumulative impacts, and analyzed alternatives to the Project. For
those impacts that could potentially exceed CEQA thresholds of significance, where feasible the City
has identified and imposed mitigation measures that avoid or reduce the impact to a level of less-than-
significant. The Planning Commission has further found that the benefits of approving the Project
outweigh the Project’s significant and unavoidable impacts.
5. The proposed Project is consistent and compatible with all elements in the City of South San Francisco
General Plan as it is consistent with the Business Technology Park Land Use designation, and office /
R&D uses in the East of 101 Area help the City implement several broad General Plan goals, including
but not limited to: maintaining a balanced land use program that provides opportunities for continued
economic growth, and building intensities that reflect South San Francisco’s prominent inner bay
location and excellent regional access.
6. The proposed Project is consistent with the standards and requirements of the City's Zoning Ordinance
and with the provisions of the East of 101 Area Plan. The development of the Project Site would result
in the construction of approximately 166,613 gross sq. ft. of office / R&D space and would meet
minimum design standards.
7. The site is physically suitable for the type of development and density proposed, as the 101 Gull Drive
Project will benefit from being located in the East of 101 Area, and the size of the office/ R&D campus
City of South San Francisco Page 2 of 5
File #:22-242 Agenda Date:4/21/2022
Version:1 Item #:3b.
is appropriate for the location and meets the City’s land use and zoning standards.
B. Use Permit
1. The proposed Project is consistent with the standards and requirements of the City’s Zoning Ordinance
and with the design provisions of the East of 101 Area Plan. The Project meets or exceeds all of the
general development standards of the BTP Zoning District, with the exception of a request for a parking
reduction. The request for a parking reduction is permissible and warranted by the City’s Zoning
Ordinance because the Project incorporates a robust Transportation Demand Management Program
designed to encourage all employees to rely on alternatives forms of transportation, the project includes
contributions to and participation in first- and last-mile transit connection strategies, and the project is
proximate to the South San Francisco Caltrain station, which is a major transit station.
2. The proposed Project is consistent with the General Plan for the reasons stated in Findings A.5 through
A.7 above and is consistent with the East of 101 Area Plan.
3. The proposed office / R&D use will not be adverse to the public health, safety, or general welfare of the
community, nor detrimental to surrounding properties or improvements, for the reasons stated in
Finding A.7 above.
4. The proposed Project complies with applicable standards and requirements of the City’s Zoning
Ordinance, with the exception of parking requirements, which are permissible and warranted by the
Zoning Ordinance as discussed below.
The exception for the number of parking spaces is allowable under the City’s Municipal Code Section
20.330.006(D), and warranted based on the following findings:
a. The parking reduction will serve to support and promote the Project’s TDM program.
b. The Project provides approximately 80% of the required parking spaces and is required, through
the TDM program, to achieve an ultimate alternative mode use of 35%. The site is not
anticipated to result in a shortfall of on-site parking or create the need for overflow parking off-
site.
c. The proposed project parking of 2.5 spaces per 1,000 sq. ft. for office / R&D uses will be
adequate for the proposed use because of the offered alternative transportation solutions, and
because the applicant will manage and monitor on-site parking. The Project is required to
implement a TDM Program on an on-going basis over the life of the Project with a required
alternative mode shift of 35%. The TDM requirements applicable to the Project, the fact that
similar reduced standards have been accepted and/or successfully applied within several large
developments in the City, including nearby Genentech developments and ARE-owned campuses
such as Merck and Verily, and the studies from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
City of South San Francisco Page 3 of 5
File #:22-242 Agenda Date:4/21/2022
Version:1 Item #:3b.
such as Merck and Verily, and the studies from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
all support a reduced parking standard.
d. The reduced parking rate reinforces the overall efforts of the City’s General Plan and the TDM
Ordinance, which encourage reduced parking standards as an effective tool in encouraging use
of alternative modes of transportation other than single occupancy vehicles and reducing VMT.
e. The number of parking spaces provided by the proposed project will serve all existing, proposed
and potential uses as effectively and conveniently as would the standard number of parking
spaces required by SSFMC Chapter 20.330. As described above, there is ample evidence to
support the proposed parking reduction, and there is added concern that an overabundance of
parking could have a deleterious effect on the goals and objectives of the City’s TDM efforts
since such would serve as a disincentive to the use of alternative transportation modes and
would increase the number of single-occupancy vehicle trips and VMT due to commuting.
5. The design, location, size, and operating characteristics of the proposed Project are compatible with the
existing and reasonably foreseeable future land uses in the vicinity because the Project will provide an
office / R&D building with employee-serving amenities, in close proximity to other office and research
and development uses and amenities.
6. The site is physically suitable for the type of development and density proposed, as the development of
a high-quality office / R&D building is in keeping with existing development within the East of 101
Area and the BTP Zoning District.
7. The Project complies with CEQA for the reasons stated in Finding A.4 above.
C.Design Review
1. The Project, including Design Review, is consistent with Title 20 of the South San Francisco Municipal
Code because the Project has been designed as a high-quality office / R&D development, which will
provide a pedestrian-friendly campus with on-site amenities, contribute to and upgrade pedestrian and
bicycle facilities on Gull Drive, Eccles Avenue, and Oyster Point Boulevard, and achieve a sustainable
building and landscape design.
2. The Project, including Design Review, is consistent with the General Plan and the East of 101 Area
Plan, because the proposed office / R&D development is consistent with the policies and design
direction provided in the South San Francisco General Plan Business Technology Park Land Use
designation by encouraging new office / R&D facilities with campus-serving amenities and connections
to transit hubs.
3. The Project, including Design Review, is consistent with the applicable design guidelines adopted by
the City Council in that the proposed Project is consistent with Design Guidelines, including the design
City of South San Francisco Page 4 of 5
File #:22-242 Agenda Date:4/21/2022
Version:1 Item #:3b.
the City Council in that the proposed Project is consistent with Design Guidelines, including the design
and development standards outlined in the East of 101 Area Plan.
4. The Project is consistent with the Use Permit for the reasons stated in
Findings B.1-B.7 above.
5. The Project is consistent with the applicable design review criteria in SSFMC Section 20.480.006
(“Design Review Criteria”) because the project has been evaluated by the Design Review Board on
May 18, 2021 and July 20, 2021, and found to be consistent with each of the eight design review criteria
included in the “Design Review Criteria” section of the Ordinance.
D.Transportation Demand Management Plan
1. The proposed trip reduction measures contained in the TDM Plan (attached hereto as Exhibit B) are
feasible and appropriate for the Project, considering the proposed use and the project’s location, size,
and hours of operation. Appropriate and feasible measures have been included in the TDM Plan to
achieve a projected 35% alternative mode usage, as required. The TDM Plan provides incentives for
employees to use modes of transportation other than single-occupancy vehicle trips, such as secure
bicycle storage, shower facilities, preferential parking for carpools and vanpools, and an employee
TDM contact, among others. The TDM Plan also uses a lower parking ratio to increase ridership on
Caltrain, BART, and other transit services. Further, a central pick-up and drop-off area on site, as well
as improved connections to shuttle stops, and improvements to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure,
will help encourage alternative forms of transportation.
2. The proposed performance guarantees will ensure that the target 35% alternative mode use established
for the Project by SSFMC Chapter 20.400 will be achieved and maintained. Conditions of approval
have been included to require that the Final TDM Plan, which must be submitted for review and
approval prior to issuance of a building permit, shall outline the required process for on-going
monitoring including annual surveys and triennial reports.
SECTION 2 DETERMINATION
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that subject to the Conditions of Approval, attached as
Exhibit A to this Resolution, the Planning Commission of the City of South San Francisco hereby makes the
findings contained in this Resolution, and approves the entitlements requests for 101 Gull Drive.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage and
adoption.
City of South San Francisco Page 5 of 6
Attest:__________________________________
Tony Rozzi
Secretary to the Planning Commission
I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Planning Commission of the City of
South San Francisco at a regular meeting held on the 21st day of April, 2022 by the following vote:
AYES: Chair Shihadeh, Vice Chair Tzang, De Paz Fernandez, Faria, Funes, Evans
NOES: ______________________________________________________________
ABSTENTIONS: ______________________________________________________________
ABSENT: Murphy________________________________________________________
* * * * * * *
City of South San Francisco Page 6 of 6