Developers Get Nod for Life Science Campus in Burlingame

DivcoWest and Woodstock Development have cleared a hurdle toward building a 1.4 million-square-foot life sciences campus in Burlingame.

The San Francisco-based unit of DivCore Capital and the locally based developer won approval by the city Planning Commission to build the five-building campus at 1200-1340 Old Bayshore Highway, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported.

They would replace a Holiday Inn Express and some commercial buildings.

Plans call for three 11-story office research buildings and two parking garages. Two of the buildings would reach 214 feet while the third would reach 210 feet. Local zoning rules previously allowed heights of 65 feet.

The developers bought the 13 parcels that make up the 12-acre site for $108 million. The year of the purchase was not disclosed.

DivcoWest and Woodstock made several changes to their plans after feedback from the community, according to Virginia Calkins, director of environmental, social and governance for DivcoWest.

This included reducing building sizes by 150,000 square feet, narrowing buildings and adding more features so the public can enjoy the waterfront. One key feature is a nearly 1,500-foot extension of the Bayshore Trail that had stopped at the site and will now “meander along the shore.”

“What we envision instead is a dynamic bayfront realm that densifies the commercial activity but also rewires the sites, removing hard paved services,” Calkins told the Business Journal. “The result is something that links the bay to the urban fabric of the city of Burlingame and welcomes families to explore.”

The development agreement, yet to be approved by the City Council, includes a public plaza, 5.5 acres of public areas for nature and play discovery, shoreline exploration, cultural arts and events, outdoor fitness and public restrooms.

The project would also include 230 new trees, according to its website.

Between the commercial linkage and estimates of public facilities impacts, the project could result in nearly $28.3 million in fees for the city.

Kevin Kretsch, general manager of the nearby Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport hotel, said the development would create a “gold standard” for Burlingame.

“The two things that really stand out to me in listening to our guests that stay at our hotel is No. 1, they want a beautification of the immediate area,” Kretsch told the newspaper. “They want to be able to walk outside, enjoy natural resources and the amenities that Burlingame can offer.

“Right now, what we see along the corridor and what we see along the Bayshore Trail is disconnection, lack of enhancement and an area that drastically needs to be improved,” he said.

— Dana Bartholomew