388 VINTAGE PARK DRIVE | FOSTER CITY, CA
May 23, 2025
Foster City Planning Division
610 Foster City Blvd.
Foster City, CA 94404
RE: Request for Re-Entitlement of 388 Vintage Park Drive to Allow Optional Additional Floor and Revised Parking Configuration
Dear Honorable City Council, Planning Commission, and City Staff of Foster City,
On behalf of SteelWave and Helios Real Estate Partners (the “Applicant”), we respectfully submit this letter requesting an amendment to the existing entitlements for 388 Vintage Park Drive (the “Project”).
We are seeking approval to modify the previously entitled project to include an optional additional occupied floor—adding approximately 30,000 square feet of research and development (R&D) space— and to revise the parking configuration by removing the previously contemplated mechanical stackers.
Background and Purpose
The Project, approved in 2022, entitles a ±95,000 square foot, Class-A life science building designed to replace a long-vacant and underutilized restaurant site. Since entitlement, we have continued to evaluate tenant demand and market conditions, and we believe that additional flexibility is required to make the Project as responsive and competitive as possible in the life science leasing market. To this end, we are proposing a re-entitlement that would provide the flexibility to construct either:
Option A: The currently entitled ±95,000 SF building with optional mechanical stackers based on tenant demand; or
Option B: A ±125,000 SF building (adding one additional floor) with optional mechanical stackers based on tenant demand
This approach ensures the final design can best match future tenant needs without requiring further discretionary action or delay.
Parking and Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
The proposed additional floor would modestly increase occupancy and theoretical parking demand.
However, a reduction in the parking ratio better aligns with market demand and modern transportation behavior. Therefore, this supports removing mechanical parking stackers and the reduction of the parking ratio.
The previously certified Environmental Impact Report (EIR), including the transportation analysis by Fehr & Peers, concluded that the Project would result in less-than-significant transportation impacts with implementation of the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan. The TDM plan—submitted and approved with the original application—identified specific measures (such as carpooling incentives, shuttle programs, and bicycle facilities) expected to reduce peak hour single-occupant vehicle trips by over 35%, exceeding regional thresholds.
388 VINTAGE PARK DRIVE | FOSTER CITY, CA
We propose to carry forward and expand this TDM program as part of the re-entitled project. TDM compliance will continue to be monitored, as recommended in the EIR, ensuring that any increase in occupancy does not result in a material impact to local traffic conditions.
Water Demand Considerations
The Project site previously hosted a full-service restaurant, which according to utility data, consumed approximately 114,000 gallons per month. In contrast, the EIR's water demand analysis—based on peer facilities and actual usage—estimated the approved life science facility would consume less water than the restaurant it replaced.
While the proposed additional floor increases gross square footage, the building will retain its highly efficient water design, including low-flow fixtures and drought-tolerant landscaping. Our preliminary analysis, shows that even the larger building is expected to consume comparable water to the data studied within the EIR.
Environmental Review Considerations
The certified EIR concluded that all environmental impacts were less than significant or could be mitigated to that level. Transportation and noise were the only areas identified with potentially significant impacts, and both were successfully mitigated through standard measures.
Adding an optional floor does not materially alter the project footprint, nor does it meaningfully increase daily trips, noise, or utility load beyond the assumptions already studied. The TDM plan and water-efficiency strategy provide effective mitigation, and any updated analysis would likely affirm that the modified project remains within the scope of the certified EIR.
Requested Modifications
We respectfully request the City approve a revised General Development Plan and Use Permit that would:
- Allow for the construction of an optional additional occupied floor (±30,000 SF increase); - Eliminate mechanical parking stackers and reduce the parking ratio accordingly; - Maintain the approved site layout and architectural approach; - Rely on the existing certified EIR, supported by updated technical memos if required.
Conclusion
This re-entitlement proposal preserves the integrity and community benefits of the approved Project while introducing valuable flexibility to meet current market conditions. It allows the City and Applicant to move forward with a shovel-ready project that maximizes land use efficiency, promotes sustainability, and delivers economic benefit—without triggering significant new environmental impacts.
By virtue of being able to provide a broader range of building sizes, the Project better aligns with the needs of life science companies in the market today and thus increases the timetable of leasing and constructing the Project.
We appreciate the continued partnership with Foster City and look forward to working with City Staff and Council to advance this request. Please let us know if additional documentation or technical analysis is needed to complete the review process.
388 VINTAGE PARK DRIVE | FOSTER CITY, CA
Sincerely,
Peter Banzhaf
Helios Real Estate Partners
Cc:
Ben Yu & Steve Dunn, SteelWave
Brian Cason, Helios Real Estate Partners