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_______________________________________________ 555 Northgate Drive, Ste. 255, San Rafael, CA 94903 ∙ (415) 483-9332

www.marineconomicforum.org

January 5, 2017 Mayor Denise Athas and Novato City Council members City of Novato 922 Machin Avenue Novato, CA 94945 Re: Bel Marin Keys Dear Mayor Athas: The Marin Economic Forum (MEF) urges the Council and Planning Commission consider revisions to the Bel Marin Keys Industrial Parks Master Plan to accommodate biotechnology / life science campus development. As a founding member of the North Bay Life Science Alliance, we wholeheartedly support their recommendations on how to foster more biotechnology/life science development and retention in Bel Marin Keys. Supporting the vitality of this industry sector is one of the most important things you can do to secure the economic future of Novato. MEF joins with NBLSA in recommending the following changes to the M/PDP: • Increase building height limits from 35’ (or 42’ through the design review process) to 64’ • Increase the FAR from .6 to 1.25 • Create a “campus” designation for biotechnology enterprises that allow multiple sites within the Plan area occupied by a single user and its affiliated companies to be treated as a single site for parking requirements and occupancy load purposes. • Establish zoning and development standards that streamline adaptive reuse of the built environment in the Plan area to meet anticipated growth projections of existing biotechnology companies and the needs of biotechnology companies that spinoff or relocate to Novato. Rationale for development standard changes: • Increased height limits are needed to accommodate equipment and manufacturing processes that require extraordinarily tall equipment spaces and temperature control process piping specific to research and processing programs to discover and develop treatments and therapies for human diseases and conditions. The 35’/42’ height limit established in 1978 could not anticipate the technological advances in laboratory research and the latest developments in the discovery process which require a different facility to accommodate current research equipment and processes. By comparison, The Buck Institute zoning category of REI was created in 1995 specifically for laboratory research. The height standard in the REI zoning category is four stories. A typical contemporary laboratory floor to floor height is 16 feet per story. The consensus among existing biotechnology users in the Plan area is that four stories is sufficient for their purposes. Precedent exists in the Plan area in a building that has been granted a variance to rise to 56 feet of height. The existing development standards provide for an increase of 8’ in height above the limits for mechanical equipment and/or decorative purposes. Given the precedent, and the prohibition of residential elements within the Plan area, increased building height is not likely to alter the view corridors of the warehouse type buildings in the Plan area. The predominant building type in the Plan area now is oriented to the street and the view lines are of their neighboring buildings. • The requested changes in height allowances are significant. However, in the request is consistent with height allowances in special zoning districts for biotechnology/life science industry components in San Francisco, South San Francisco, Berkeley and the South Bay and well below the 110’ limit established in South San Francisco for Genentech. • Establishing a “campus” land use designation will allow single business entities occupying multiple locations to meet parking and FAR ratios based on total occupancy types and uses. For example, BioMarin occupies

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_______________________________________________ 555 Northgate Drive, Ste. 255, San Rafael, CA 94903 ∙ (415) 483-9332

www.marineconomicforum.org

several buildings. The mix of uses include office, R&D, warehousing and storage with each category of use linked to a different parking standard. Designating BioMarin’s multiple use sites as a campus would provide much needed flexibility in meeting the parking requirements whether on existing ground level allocations or in second deck parking. MEF hopes that the Council and Planning Commission realize what a treasure it is having one of the top industries of the 21st Century in Novato. Biotechnology / Life Sciences are the prize that every City wants to claim and Novato has been blessed with this opportunity. As the competition for companies that provide well-paying jobs that are not being displaced by automation, we hope that Novato heeds these recommendations and secures its economic future for generations to come. Sincerely, Jim Cordeiro President and CEO cc: Novato Planning Commission

From: John Reese Sent: Friday, January 06, 2017 10:00 AM To: Bob Brown Subject: BMK Master Plan Hi Bob, Thank you for your comprehensive and informative public workshop last night. I appreciated the opportunity to attend and learn more about this proposal. Overall, it is a reasonable proposal and I appreciate what the industry brings to the City. The EIR will reveal additional information. Traffic will be a hot spot. I asked the question about how the City would define biotech or life science use and you indicated that that would be further defined and that there may be some industry standards for defining them. Thank you. A follow-up question: Why would the City limit this zoning revision to accommodate only biotech or life science use? Should the City instead consider this master plan revision on a broader view for all land and appropriate users in the prescribed revision area? Understanding, of course, that specific development plans are further reviewed in the City’s approval processes. Thank you, John John Reese Chief Administrative Officer MarinHumaneSociety.org Main Campus 415.883.4621 Office 415.506.6260

From: Bob Brown Sent: Friday, January 06, 2017 10:04 AM

To: John Reese Subject: RE: BMK Master Plan

Thanks for attending, John. I’ll pass along your e-mail to the City Council and Planning Commission if that’s alright. The focus is on biotech and life sciences for two reasons. First, that sector has been our economic development focus for several years, and we see this as providing additional tools to accomplish those objectives. Second, we’d be concerned with opening up with incentives for other types of hi-tech manufacturing such as electronics, which would not likely produce the higher paying jobs we are encouraging. General manufacturing has been and will be allowed, but the incentives of greater building floor area wouldn’t be offered.

Bob Brown Community Development Director 922 Machin Avenue Novato, CA 94945 415-899-8938

From: John Reese Sent: Friday, January 06, 2017 1:26 PM To: Bob Brown Subject: RE: BMK Master Plan Thanks Bob, yes do pass my note along. Another comment to share: Once Biotech and Life Science are defined, would there be a vetting process to avoid or deny some aspects of the darker side of this industry like production of genetically modified organisms (GMO) for human consumption, products used in bio-warfare, hazardous/harmful bacteria, etc. Thanks, John John Reese Chief Administrative Officer MarinHumaneSociety.org Main Campus 415.883.4621 Office 415.506.6260

QTUltrasoundLabs•3HamiltonLanding,Suite160•Novato,CA94949•415.985.2094

January10,2017MayorDeniseAthasandNovatoCityCouncilmembersCityofNovato922MachinAvenueNovato,CA94945Re:BelMarinKeysDearMayorAthas:IamalongtimeresidentofNovato,amedicaldoctor,thephysician-founderofBioMarin,seedinvestorforUltragenyxPharmaceutical,andhaveemployedmanyscientistswhowentonstartothercompaniesinNovatosuchasRaptor(nowHorizon)Pharmaceuticals.IamcurrentlyCEOofQTUltrasoundLabsinNovato.Ihavespentagreatdealoftimeandmoneyoverthepast20yearsmylifetodevelopingthebiotechnologyandmedicaldeviceindustryinNovatoandIcontinuetobuildnewcompaniesintheNovatoBiotechnologyIndustry.BuildingthesecompanieshaschangedlivesandhasgivenNovatoanexcellentreputationasasupporterofbiotechnologyinnovation.Tocontinuetomaintainitsglobalreputation,theCityofNovatowillneedtoattractinnovators,smartanddedicatedemployees,andcontinueitssupportandadvocateonbehalfofitscitizens.NovatoandtheBelMarinKeysIndustrialParkshavealonghistoryofprovidingalltheingredientsforsuccess.IstronglyurgetheCityCouncilandPlanningCommissiontoapproverevisionstotheBelMarinKeysIndustrialParksMasterPlantoaccommodatebiotechologyandlifesciencecampusdevelopment.ThesechangeswillhelpensuretheongoingsuccessofthecurrentcompaniesinBelMarinKeysandwillprovideadditionalgrowthandaddvaluetotheCityofNovato.Sincerely,

JohnKlock,M.D.PresidentandCEOcc:NovatoPlanningCommission