San Carlos planning commission backs 789 Old County life‑science project despite neighborhood objections

The San Carlos Planning and Transportation Commission on Sept. 2 voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council certify a mitigated negative declaration and approve plan‑development zoning, a development agreement and design review for a proposed life‑science campus at 789 Old County Road.

The proposal would redevelop a 3.4‑acre industrial parcel at Old County Road and Branston into two life‑science research‑and‑development buildings and an above‑grade parking structure, with a central plaza, expanded sidewalks and new streetscape improvements. Staff said the West building would be four stories (about 69 feet) and the East building five stories (about 85 feet to the roofline) with mechanical screening above. The applicant and staff described a community benefits package valued at about $4,200,000 and estimated impact fees and related obligations at roughly $11,600,000, for a combined financial commitment the applicant described as about $16,000,000.

"The applicant proposes to provide the city with community benefits totaling over $4,200,000," said Lisa Costa Sanders, principal planner, during the staff presentation. The package includes off‑site pedestrian and bicycle improvements, a tree‑planting fund (roughly $30,000 for nearby residents), and payments at building‑permit issuance. Staff also noted the applicant will pay its fair share toward a new traffic signal and construct a two‑way cycle track on Old County Road.

Why it matters: the project would transform a concrete‑and‑truck yard site near San Carlos’s Caltrain station into an employment campus designed for transit access. Staff and the applicant emphasized…