UC Berkeley Second Campus
University of California–Berkeley
BAE worked as part of a consultant team led by a campus planner to prepare a development plan for the Richmond Field Station, a satellite property owned and operated by the University of California, Berkeley. This 100+ acre property, located along the San Francisco Bayfront, contains approximately 70 acres of sensitive wetlands and ecological preservation areas, and approximately 30 acres of developable land. Currently improved by a mix of low-density sheds, storage building, and testing facilities, the Field Station has long been considered a growth campus or research park opportunity. However, in addition to the sensitive lands, the site is about 10 miles north of the main campus and suffers from limited accessibility.
BAE assisted the planning team in proposing a development and financing plan which would accommodate UC Berkeley’s needs for advanced research facilities, along with facilities supporting the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (a DOE facility operated by UC Berkeley), along with private sector R&D space focused on biotech and other users. The plans call for approximately 2.5 million square feet of space at buildout, including support services such as child care, restaurants, common area open space, and a comprehensive shuttle transit system to enable improved access.
BAE’s work included interviews with numerous developers regarding interest in partnering in the development, providing an overview of biotech sector space demand, and formulating a pro forma of each phase of the project to evaluate feasibility and structure a multi-phase development strategy.