This chapter establishes the Genentech Master Plan District, and prescribes planning and design principles for facility-wide development in accordance with the Genentech Campus Master Plan Update. The specific purposes of the Genentech Master Plan District are as follows:
A. 
To establish a facility-wide urban design character that accommodates a diversity of architectural styles, a system of open space elements, and a pedestrian and vehicular circulation plan linking buildings and uses together in a flexible, logical and orderly manner. These elements apply to all Genentech lots of record and their structures, owned or leased by Genentech, and reclassified such that the uniform regulations and requirements covered by the Genentech Master Plan District apply;
B. 
To increase the flexibility of the City’s land use regulations and the speed of its review procedures to reflect the quickly changing needs of a research and development focused corporation;
C. 
To establish facility-wide development standards and design guidelines consistent with the City’s General Plan and the East of 101 Area Plan; and
D. 
To define a baseline of existing conditions for each lot reclassified to the Genentech Master Plan District.
(Ord. 1646 § 2, 2022)
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to all areas of the City within the Genentech Master Plan District as mapped on the Official Zoning Map. Additional reclassification to and/or removal of lots from the Genentech Master Plan District may be considered pursuant to the provisions of Division VI ("Administration and Procedures").
(Ord. 1646 § 2, 2022; Ord. 1656, 6/12/2024)
Projects shall comply with the development standards and requirements set forth in the Business Technology Park zoning district, and conditions of prior City approvals, except for the following:
A. 
Site Design Principles. New buildings shall address the following design principles pertaining to each building site and its surroundings, as applicable:
1. 
Building heights and massing shall maintain and/or create new views to the Bay and San Bruno Mountains.
2. 
New buildings within the Upper Campus should contribute to a prominent skyline that establishes a strong visual identity for the Campus from US-101 and the East of 101 Area.
3. 
New building designs shall include designs and programming for surrounding outdoor spaces.
4. 
New building designs shall seek to orient buildings and to locate outdoor pedestrian spaces, courtyards and entrances to provide shelter from strong winds.
5. 
New buildings shall seek to maximize sunlight on associated pedestrian pathways, open spaces and courtyards, through building step backs and/or articulation.
B. 
Floor Area Ratio. The maximum floor area ratio (FAR) is established as 1.0 of the total area of the lots within the Genentech Master Plan District.
C. 
Building Height. The maximum building height shall be the lower of the height shown on the SFO Critical Aeronautical Surfaces Map, or the maximum height determined by the FAA as being “not a hazard to air navigation” based on an aeronautical study for any buildings, and construction thereof (e.g. tall cranes) exceeding the height of FAA Part 77 air surfaces. Buildings and/or construction activities thereof that do not exceed the height of FAA Part 77 air surfaces are deemed not a hazard to air navigation.
D. 
Off-Street Parking Requirements. Off-street parking requirements are established in Table 20.260.003(D): Genentech Off-Street Parking Requirements.
Table 20.260.003(D): Genentech Off-Street Parking Requirements
Required Parking Spaces (per 1,000 square feet gross floor area)
Office
Lab
Mfg.
Whse.
Amenity
Based on 24% TDM
2.75
1.40
0.90
0.50
Based on 28% TDM
2.64
1.34
0.86
0-48
Based on 30% TDM
2.59
1.32
0.85
0-47
Based on 32% TDM
2.53
1.29
0.83
0-46
Based on 35% TDM
2.45
1.25
0.80
1.25
Based on 40% TDM
2.31
1.18
0.76
1.18
Based on 42% TDM
2.26
1.15
0.74
1.15
Based on 44% TDM
2.20
1.12
0.72
1.12
Based on 46% TDM
2.15
1.09
0.70
1.09
Based on 48% TDM
2.09
1.06
0.68
1.06
Based on 50% TDM
2.04
1.04
0.67
1.04
Note:
For purposes of this determination, office buildings are defined as those for which 50 percent or greater floor area is devoted to business, financial, or other administrative uses. The City and Genentech shall review these ratios every year in the Annual Report, to determine whether they continue to reflect parking needs at the Genentech facility. The Planning Commission may adjust the ratios to reflect parking needs following the Annual Report review.
E. 
Off-Street Loading Requirements. Off-street loading requirements are established at a rate of one loading space per 100,000 square feet of gross floor area for all buildings within the Genentech Master Plan District.
F. 
Parking Lot Landscape Buffering. A landscaped buffer-strip not less than six feet wide shall be required only for parking lots on properties within the Genentech Master Plan District that are located along a public street frontage, or adjacent to properties not within the Genentech Master Plan District.
G. 
Handicap Parking Requirement. All new development within the Campus will be required to comply with current California Building Code requirements, including handicapped parking requirements consistent with the California Accessibility Regulation and the Federal “Americans with Disabilities Act” (ADA) standards.
H. 
Wheel Stops. Wheel stops are not required in the Genentech Master Plan District.
I. 
Uses.
1. 
Allowed Uses. Uses within the Oyster Point Specific Plan District are regulated by Table 20.100.002: Use Regulations – Nonresidential Zoning Districts.
2. 
Additional Restrictions. Proposed land uses with characteristics that may cause visual, electronic, or wildlife hazards to aircraft taking off or landing at the SFO Airport or in flight shall not be permitted. Specific characteristics that may create hazards to aircraft in flight and which are incompatible include:
a. 
Sources of glare, such as highly reflective buildings or building features, or bright lights, including search lights or laser displays, which would interfere with the vision of pilots making approaches to the San Francisco International Airport ("Airport").
b. 
Distracting lights that could be mistaken by pilots on approach to the Airport for airport identification lighting, runway edge lighting, runway end identification lighting, or runway approach lighting.
c. 
Sources of dust, smoke, or water vapor that may impair the vision of pilots making approaches to the Airport.
d. 
Sources of electrical interference with aircraft or air traffic control communications or navigation equipment, including radar.
e. 
Land uses that, as a regular by-product of their operations, produce thermal plumes with the potential to rise high enough and at sufficient velocities to interfere with the control of aircraft inflight. Upward velocities of 4.3 meters (14.1 feet) per second at altitudes above 200 feet above the ground shall be considered as potentially interfering with the control of aircraft in flight.
f. 
Any use that creates an increased attraction for wildlife, particularly large flocks of birds, that is inconsistent with FAA rules and regulations. Exceptions to this regulation are acceptable for wetlands or other environmental mitigation projects required by ordinance, statute, court order, or Record of Decision issued by a federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act.
J. 
Growth and Development Projections. Consistent with the projections analyzed in the Environmental Impact Report for Genentech Campus Master Plan Update, development within the approximately 207-acre Campus shall be limited to 9,008,000 square feet (an FAR of 1.0), and shall be further regulated by a Trip Cap equivalent to a maximum of 5,216 total drive-alone trips arriving at the Campus during the a.m. peak hour. This Trip Cap applies irrespective of the amount of net new development, the mix and types of land uses that occur within the Campus over time, or the effectiveness of TDM and other trip reduction efforts. The Trip Cap is a maximum, not-to-exceed number of potential drive-alone vehicle trips, and will be counted annually via cordon count records along the main ingress and access points to the Campus.
K. 
Facility-Wide Open Space. The Urban Design Chapter of the Master Plan Update provides conceptual graphics of anticipated Campus-wide open space areas and examples of acceptably designed existing open space areas on the Campus. However, these conceptual graphics and examples are not intended as "standards" but rather as guidelines of acceptable variations in individual design applications. New open space areas shall meet the objectives of the Master Plan and reflect best practices in landscaping and sustainable design, but may vary based on their intended use, physical conditions, and location on the Campus.
L. 
Public Parking Spaces and Locations. The required parking space ratios are as established in amended Table 20.260.003(D). These parking requirements apply to the Campus as a whole, based on the aggregate mix of Campus land uses and are not required to be supplied specifically within or adjacent to an individual development project. The general locations of anticipated future parking facilities are conceptually illustrated in the Urban Design chapter of the Master Plan Update. However, these conceptual graphics are not intended as "standards," but rather as guidelines of generally acceptable parking facility locations.
M. 
Pedestrian Connections. The Urban Design chapter of the Master Plan Update provides conceptual graphics and examples of pedestrian connections that are acceptably designed. However, these conceptual graphics and examples are not intended as "standards," but rather as guidelines of acceptable variations in individual design applications. New pedestrian connections shall meet accessibility requirements.
N. 
Shuttle Stops. The Urban Design chapter of the Master Plan Update provides conceptual graphics and examples of shuttle stop designs that are acceptably designed. However, these conceptual graphics and examples are not intended as "standards," but rather as guidelines of acceptable variations in individual design applications. Shuttle stops shall be designed to be compatible with their surrounding environment and safely and aesthetically meet the demands of projected ridership at the given location.
O. 
Signs. Proposed signage shall comply with Chapter 20.360 (“Signs”). Displays, including light fixtures, banners and murals that are part of Genentech’s Patient Success Story program and that are intended for the direct benefit of Genentech employees may be allowed subject to Planning Commission approval of a Master Sign program pursuant to Section 20.360.003(B) ("Master Sign Program"). The Master Sign Program recognizes the unique nature and location of the Genentech campus facilities. Displays that do not meet the general sign standards set forth in Chapter 20.360 ("Signs"), but that are consistent with the Master Sign Program may nonetheless be approved or conditionally approved at the discretion of the Chief Planner, provided that:
1. 
The proposed display(s) are consistent with the objectives described in the Genentech Master Sign Program, as it may be amended from time to time;
2. 
To the extent reasonably possible under the circumstances, the proposed display(s) have been architecturally integrated with the buildings to which they are attached, based on characteristics such as scale relationships, color, materials, and graphic style, or otherwise enhance the façade of the buildings to which they are attached;
3. 
To the extent reasonably possible under the circumstances, any separate structure or apparatus required to attach the display(s) to buildings has been disguised or hidden;
4. 
Display(s) should be generally inward-oriented toward the campus, but may face toward a public area, including public rights-of-way and public open space if certain performance criteria of the Master Sign Program are met;
5. 
Temporary banners consistent in style and size with the provisions of the Master Sign Program are permitted along public streets, if related to a Genentech campaign or event; and
6. 
No more than 20 such displays (not including temporary banners) may be erected within the Genentech Campus pursuant to this section at any one time.
(Ord. 1646 § 2, 2022; Ord. 1656, 6/12/2024)
Genentech shall continue to comply with Chapter 20.400 (“Transportation Demand Management”) and will provide a status update on its compliance with the trip reduction requirements as part of the annual report provided for in Section 20.400.006 (“Monitoring and Enforcement”).
(Ord. 1646 § 2, 2022)
A. 
If a lot no longer qualifies to be included in the Genentech Master Plan District under the requirements contained in this chapter, from and after the time that such lot no longer qualifies, any new use, construction, or demolition on that lot, shall conform with the provisions of the underlying zoning district-related provisions of the Code as they existed at the time of the initial reclassification of that lot to be included in the Genentech Master Plan District. However, any use, building, or structure that: (1) is existing or under construction at the time that a lot no longer qualifies to be included within the district; and (2) is not hazardous or dangerous to public health or safety, shall be considered a nonconforming use, building, or structure, such that the lawful existing uses of those buildings or structures at the time of removal may be continued, despite that such uses may not conform to the underlying regulations specified for the district in which such buildings or structures are located. In the event of damage or destruction, such uses, buildings, or structures may be reconstructed and restored to the same extent that they existed before the damage or destruction, provided that there may be no expansion of the nonconformity beyond that which existed prior to the damage or destruction.
B. 
Any property removed from the Genentech Campus Master Plan Update may be removed from the Genentech Master Plan District upon receipt of a petition from Genentech and the property owner(s). Any such petition shall be processed in accordance with Division V. In addition to the requirements of Division V, the petition for removal shall include an acknowledgement that the properties remaining in the Genentech Master Plan District will be required to comply with the Genentech Master Plan District development standards then in effect, including, but not limited to, development standards related to vehicular and pedestrian access, parking or access to utility connections.
C. 
If any property proposed to be removed from the Genentech Master Plan District would not comply with the existing development standards related to vehicular and pedestrian access, parking, or access to utility connections requirements for the district to which the property is proposed to be rezoned, as a condition of the rezoning, the property owner(s) of properties remaining in the Genentech Master Plan District shall grant easements or other legally enforceable property rights, to the extent required so that the property removed from the Genentech Master Plan District would comply with all then existing development standards related to vehicular and pedestrian access, parking, or utility connections requirements for the district to which the property is proposed to be rezoned. Such agreements shall be enforceable against other adjacent properties within the Genentech Master Plan District as appropriate, shall be approved as to form and content by the City Attorney, and shall be properly recorded in the office of the San Mateo County Clerk. As a further condition of removal, it shall be demonstrated that the property proposed to be removed would comply with the existing development standards related to TDM for the district to which it is proposed to be rezoned. Such compliance may be demonstrated by a TDM program proposed solely for such property, or by an agreement or agreements with other property owners or service providers. Any such TDM-related agreements shall be approved as to form and content by the City Attorney, and if applicable shall be properly recorded in the office of the San Mateo County Clerk. The property owner(s) of property proposed to be removed from the District may, as part of the rezoning application, apply to the City for a waiver in whole or in part of these requirements and the waiver may only be approved upon a finding by the City that under the then-existing circumstances the property proposed to be removed has TDM programs, vehicular and pedestrian access, parking, and access to utility connections adequate to serve the property.
D. 
If any property removed from the Genentech Master Plan District has been developed after approval of the 2020 Genentech Campus Master Plan Update ("2020 Approval"), the net new square feet of development (by use category as set forth in Section 20.100.002 ("Use Regulations")) developed on that site after the 2020 Approval shall be deducted from the total new development capacity that was approved as part of the 2020 Approval.
E. 
Upon removal of any property from the Genentech Master Plan District, the properties remaining in the Genentech Master Plan District shall comply with the Genentech Master Plan District development standards then in effect, including, but not limited to, development standards related to vehicular and pedestrian access, parking, or access to utility connection or shall be subject to a plan to bring the properties into compliance within a time period specified by the Planning Commission.
F. 
If any property is removed from the Genentech Master Plan District as a result of a real estate transaction (i.e., through an offer sale or lease), the seller shall file a real estate disclosure (pursuant to California Business and Professions Code, Division 4: Real Estate, Part 2: Regulation of Transactions, Chapter 1: Subdivided Lands, Article 2: Investigation, Regulation and Report) indicating that the property is within an Airport Influence Area in which current or future airport-related noise, overflight, safety or airspace protection factors may significantly affect land uses or necessitate restrictions on those uses as determined by the Airport Land Use Commission.
(Ord. 1646 § 2, 2022; Ord. 1656, 6/12/2024)
Development review of projects within the Genentech Master Plan District shall be in accordance with all applicable provisions of this Ordinance.
A. 
Administrative Review. The following projects are not subject to discretionary review under this Ordinance, except those projects determined by the Chief Planner to have a potentially significant adverse environmental impact or which are not consistent with the purposes of the Genentech Master Plan District.
1. 
Additions to existing buildings, where only one such addition to such building occurs within a 12-month period, and where the addition is limited to the lesser of: (a) 10,000 square feet in area, or (b) 20 percent of the existing gross floor area of the building, measured as of the date the specific project application is submitted;
2. 
Accessory structures and above grade utility systems equal to or less than 1,000 square feet in area;
3. 
Interior building modifications that involve changing the use of less than 30 percent of a building’s gross floor area;
4. 
Changes in the use of existing buildings where both the prior and proposed use are defined in the Business Technology Park zoning district as permitted uses;
5. 
Minor site improvements, including, but not limited to, landscape amenities, small at-grade open parking lots of less than 50 parking spaces, and minor above grade utility systems to service existing buildings. Minor site improvements under this section shall also be subject to the square footage limitations contained in subsection (A)(1);
6. 
Replacement, relocation or reconstruction of parking lots or parking spaces that do not result in an increase of parking capacity;
7. 
Temporary uses, such as trailers, parking facilities, storage of construction materials; and
8. 
Corporate events (as defined in Section 6.48.010 ("Definitions") in Title 6 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code), including those corporate events to be located in an area that includes Genentech’s private parking lots and circulation areas.
B. 
Minor Use Permits. The following projects are subject to the review and approval of a Minor Use Permit by the Chief Planner. The Chief Planner may approve, approve with conditions or deny approval of such projects.
1. 
Projects Subject to Minor Use Permits.
a. 
Addition(s) to an existing building where only one such addition to such building occurs within a 12-month period, and where the addition is limited to between 10,000 and 30,000 square feet (but not to exceed 30 percent of the existing gross floor area of the building, measured as of the date the specific project application is submitted). In the event that the total of such additions exceeds 30 percent of the floor area existing at the time of the first request for expansion, the Chief Planner shall notify the Planning Commission of the project’s approval within four days of the approval;
b. 
Accessory structures and above grade utility systems of between 1,001 and 5,000 square feet; and
c. 
At-grade parking lots of 50 parking spaces or greater.
2. 
Required Findings. The Chief Planner’s decision to issue a Minor Use Permit shall be based on all of the following findings:
a. 
The proposed use will not be adverse to the public health, safety or general welfare of the community, nor be detrimental to surrounding properties or improvements;
b. 
The use is consistent with the City’s General Plan and any applicable area plan;
c. 
The proposed use complies with all applicable standards and requirements of this title; and
d. 
The use complies with the Genentech Master Plan District’s facility design guidelines.
C. 
Conditional Use Permits. All other projects shall be subject to Conditional Use Permit approval. Required findings shall be those required for Minor Use Permit approval in subsection (B)(2) (“Required Findings”).
D. 
Design Review. The following procedures shall apply to design review for projects not subject to subsections A and B above. Except where the Chief Planner finds that a proposed project does not involve significant design issues and therefore does not require design review, the procedures contained in Chapter 20.480 ("Design Review") are not limited or changed by this chapter. The standards and guidelines to be used during the design review procedure for Genentech Master Plan District projects are:
1. 
Those contained in the General Plan and any applicable area plan;
2. 
Those contained in the Design Review Checklist of Implementation chapter of the Genentech Campus Master Plan Update; and
3. 
Those contained in any relevant Planning Commission resolution, except where superseding facility design guidelines have been adopted.
E. 
Annual Development Review. Development activity shall be reviewed at least once a year by the Planning Commission. Genentech shall submit an annual report which includes, as appropriate, the status of facility-wide improvements, progress in completing the required tasks and benchmarks described in the implementation plan, and/or Development Agreement anticipated new construction or renovation projects, an update on transportation and parking needs, an update on mobile vendor (employee amenity) activities on the Genentech campus, an update of the facility-wide transportation demand management (TDM) program, projected changes in the facility usage and requirements, advance notice of any proposed changes to the facility-wide development standards or design guidelines, and notice of any changes that have been made to the facility master plan since the most recent annual report.
F. 
Fees. Genentech shall continue to contribute its fair share towards the costs of capital improvement projects, public facilities and public services in accordance with all City development impact fees. Fees shall be paid at the time as indicated in each fee program’s Ordinance or Resolution. These requirements shall apply to all discretionary land use approvals, including Administrative Review, Minor Use Permits and Conditional Use Permits issued pursuant to this section.
1. 
Childcare Fee. Genentech’s contribution to childcare (in accordance with the fee contribution formula for childcare established by Chapter 8.77, "Childcare Fee") may be in the form of childcare facility construction, fees, or a combination of both facility construction and fees, consistent with Section 8.77.020 ("Childcare fee established").
(Ord. 1646 § 2, 2022; Ord. 1656, 6/12/2024)