Planning Commission Set to Sign Off on Gilead Sciences Lab

The Planning Commission tonight will consider approving plans for the first stage of a major expansion at Gilead Sciences’ campus.

Gilead Sciences plans to build a four-story, 192,000 square foot laboratory building that would replace two buildings, which are about a quarter of the size. 

The new lab is part of a master plan for Gilead’s corporate headquarters that overtime could double the company’s workforce, from about 1,500 to about 3,400 employees, said Rick Marks, Foster City’s community development director.

“Certainly there will be more employees and those employees will very likely spend money in the city,” Marks said. “The property tax value of the building will increase way beyond what it is today.”

The Planning Commission will consider whether to approve the use permit for the new laboratory and an addendum to the development’s environmental impact report, which the City Council approved last February, according to the staff report.

Commissioners studied the proposal on June 21 and suggested several changes, including adjustments to parking and landscaping, the report says.

If the commission approves the project, there would be 10 days to appeal the project to the City Council.

Marks said he doesn’t expect an appeal, for no Foster City residents have come out against the project; he hasn’t heard any opposition to the development since San Mateo neighbors brought up concerns about the height of buildings and parking structures during the initial campus plan review.

Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company with plans to expand its 333 Lakeside Drive headquarters by 1.2 million square feet.

A company representative declined to comment.

The new laboratory would set the stage for construction that would redefine Vintage Park, Marks said.

“It’s the first of several planned buildings that will change the whole campus,” he said.

The Planning Commission meets at 7pm in the City Council Chambers.