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P25-0192, Industrial Zoning Text Amendments Planning Commission 5 of 14 Pleasanton is well-positioned to compete regionally for IBBs due to its quality of life, highly skilled and educated workforce, and emerging cluster of firms within and supportive of the IBB sector, but zoning must be clear and facilitate new investment to build and maintain competitive momentum. Unlike more traditional industrial or office uses, life science businesses often face accelerated timelines from the time they secure a new round of funding to the time they are required to open a new lab facility. As a result, these businesses favor zoning processes that are rapid, “over-the-counter” whenever possible, and flexible to meet specific industry site requirements. IBBs prefer locations with updated, streamlined zoning to avoid delays and uncertainty. To stay competitive, Chapter 18 Zoning of the PMC should be updated to reflect the industry’s needs of this emerging sector. Comparison to Other Cities As part of the analysis mentioned above, Pleasanton’s industrial zoning was compared to several Bay Area cities that have recently modernized and streamlined their Industrial Zoning. Several cities were identified as having developed particularly successful best practices in Industrial Zoning supportive of IBB and used as a starting point for considering revisions to the PMC. They include Fremont, Hayward, Berkeley, San Leandro, South San Francisco, Concord, and Oakley. Review of the specific zoning and regulatory strategies adopted by these cities helped to provide insights into how Pleasanton’s zoning can be modified to make it more competitive in attracting biotechnology and other IBBs, with specific recommendations tied to Pleasanton’s local conditions and community expectations. Recommended PMC Amendments Based on the analysis detailed above, several recommendations were developed for updating and improving the City’s Industrial Zoning. These recommendations are summarized below and have been incorporated into the proposed resolution (Exhibit A) and the proposed Zoning Text Amendments (Exhibit B). 1. Adjust the definition of “Light Industrial” (PMC Section 18.08.263); and establish a new industrial use definition: “Innovation-Based Business” (IBB) (Proposed PMC Section 18.08.264) In addition to “Heavy Industrial” and “Light Industrial”, the City would establish a new, third definition of industrial use: “Innovation-Based Business” (IBB). The IBB definition would distinguish this subset of industrial uses characterized by: • Use of advanced technology • Smaller scale production and/or focus on research & development • Operations entirely indoors • Industrial processes may involve significant use of mechanical and/or scientific equipment, but do not generate any excessive off-site impacts. Examples of IBBs include research and development (R&D), data centers, pilot production, or small-to-medium-scale production facilities focused on scientific research and the design, development, and testing of electrical, electronic, magnetic, optical, pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotechnology components and products. IBBs may include Page 70 of 674