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Livermore council authorizes staff to begin negotiations with Gillig for campus expansion
Summary
The council unanimously authorized staff to begin negotiating a development agreement with bus manufacturer Gillig for a proposed 17-acre campus expansion, including possible partial closure of Discovery Drive; the authorization starts a multi-step process including outreach, a protest hearing and planning commission review.
The Livermore City Council on July 13 unanimously authorized staff to begin negotiating a development agreement with bus manufacturer Gillig for a proposed campus expansion that could require partial closure of Discovery Drive.
Jay Potter, the city's economic development manager, told the council the proposal would add about 17 acres of campus, roughly 100,000 square feet of office and warehouse space and private zero-emission vehicle infrastructure for Gillig's bus fleet. Potter said staff estimates the expansion could generate approximately $450,000 in new annual revenue for the city and about 240 additional local jobs.
Derek Monas of Gillig addressed the council and said the company has outgrown its current office capacity and is seeking space to house engineers and support staff. "We have run out of office space because we've been growing the business," Monas said, and described plans for gated employee parking and controlled entry so employees could access the campus during shift hours without creating through-traffic during the day.
The authorization approved by council does not approve the development agreement or the campus expansion itself; it permits staff to enter negotiations and to proceed with required steps under state law and Livermore's development code. Potter outlined the next steps: outreach to surrounding property owners in August, a general vacation protest hearing in September, a planning commission hearing in October, and a final council determination expected in November.
Nearby businesses raised concerns when the public hearing opened. John Franklin, who identified himself as an employee of FM Industries with facilities on Discovery Drive, told the council he was surprised not to have been notified earlier and said he and his company "definitely have concerns about the impact of that to our business, the ability to get product in and out to our employees." Council members and staff said outreach to adjacent businesses is planned and will be part of the negotiation and environmental review process.
Council members also asked about long-term control of any closed portion of Discovery Drive; staff and the developer said reversion terms and alternatives (including conditional reversion to the city if Gillig ceases operations) are among the items that would be negotiated.
A motion to accept staff's recommendation to open negotiations was moved and seconded and passed unanimously. Staff emphasized that the action only begins the negotiation process and that any formal approvals would come after additional study, public hearings and environmental review.
