Rob AriasA trio of Emeryville-related business stories aggregated from around the interwebz in our June edition of E’ville Biz.
The City of Emeryville is considering including the use of “Mass Timber,” said to be a more “sustainable” building product, be included in a list of community benefits developers can provide in exchange for additional building height.
A battle may be heating up between the city and Oxford Properties over plans to eliminate a housing component of their ongoing marketplace project. The developer has offered to pay an “in lieu” fee of $17 million for the 18 affordable units they committed to. The city is looking to negotiate more. Oxford is also offering to build a 5,174 sq. ft. “pavilion” near the Amtrak bridge that would provide bicycle parking and retail space (rendering in above feature image).
Emeryville companies Upside Foods and Finless Foods are among a handful of food tech companies profiled by the SF Business Times for their ambitious manufacturing plans. Upside debuted its “EPIC” headquarters last November and Finless is working on a 11,000 square feet combination pilot plant, headquarters and R&D facility on 53rd street.
Emeryville wants to make a deal with developers: Use ‘mass timber,’ get extra density
By Sarah Klearman
Developers who forgo steel or concrete in favor of mass timber may soon find themselves able to build taller and denser in Emeryville.
The East Bay city is considering adding the use of mass timber, a wood-based product said to be a more sustainable building product, to a list of community benefits developers can provide in exchange for additional density.
Read More on SF Business Time (Paywall may apply)
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Change in plans at Emeryville’s Public Market could prove costly for developer
By Sarah Klearman
Oxford Properties has offered to pay Emeryville $17 million to build lab space in lieu a residential complex with 18 affordable units at the Public Market. Now the city has come back with a counteroffer: $20 million.
The draft proposal, which will appear before City Council for a study session next week, will need council approval as well as buy-in from Toronto-based Oxford and its partner, City Center Realty Partners. The two developers did not respond to request for comment.
Read More on SF Business Time (Paywall may apply)
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Cell-cultivate meat companies are launching a Bay Area building boom
By Alex Barreira
Construction crews are massing in the parking lot at the Alameda headquarters of food tech unicorn Eat Just, beginning a project as massive as it is unprecedented: a 40,000-square-foot pilot plant that will be able to brew tens of thousands of pounds of cell-derived chicken and beef from bioreactors when construction wraps up in the fourth quarter.
But Eat Just CEO Josh Tetrick is already thinking bigger. Even before the pilot plant delivers, he is drawing up plans for a 200,000-square-foot facility — location undetermined — to produce 30 million pounds a year.
Read More on SF Business Time (Paywall may apply)
Regarding the use of mass timber, have the developer provide a cost estimate to show the difference in structural systems (wood vs concrete vs steel). Knowing the current planning board, the only green thing they know is their lack of expertise.