Seaport Centre
Encyclopedia
Seaport Centre is a high-tech business park
located in Redwood City
, California
, USA, and as of 2007 is one of the largest biotechnology research complexes in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
The property consists of 623000 square feet (57,878.6 m²) of developed building area, and is situated in proximity to the Port of Redwood City
.(Cutland, 2005); the property is classified as Class A office space and is constructed as a series of separate buildings. The original lands of the Seaport Centre were used as salt evaporation pond
s on tidal lands of the San Francisco Bay
, a land use that started sometime prior to 1940. As of 2002 leasing rates at Seaport Centre were in the range of $27 per square foot per annum.(Ginsburg, 2002) In 2005, Slough Estates, a United Kingdom
-based REIT, purchased the entirety of Seaport Centre to develop it as a biotechnology
research center to compete with the existing biotech hubs in Silicon Valley
and South San Francisco.
The Seaport Centre is located on generally level ground at approximately 25 feet (8 m) above mean sea level. Stormwater surface runoff
is pumped from Seaport Centre to discharge into Redwood Creek
s were evident on site. Redwood City Planning Department records confirm that the site was used for salt evaporation since sometime prior to World War II
.
Analysis of five sets of time staged stereo pairs of aerial photos reveal that the Seaport Centre site remained undeveloped until 1982; up until that time, city records show that the site was zoned as "Tidal Plain", a designation not allowing urban development. Area land use gradually changed from 1956 until 1982, in the form of gradual building development in the local area. As early as 1956 a rail spur
is evident, which served the loading of raw sea salt
for export from the area. No agricultural
history is associated with the site, other than the salt
harvesting.
A number of these early firms utilized a variety of hazardous materials in their normal processes. These substances included a variety of toxic solvent
s and other organic chemicals such as acetone
, benzene
, methyl ethyl ketone and toluene
. Use of such chemicals on site is considered a risk, since the brackish groundwater at the Seaport Centre is shallow.
,
at Seaport Centre is similar to that of the Port of Redwood City
. Microclimates within the San Francisco Bay Area
have certain gross similarities, but some meteorological parameters have pronounced differences. For this reason a detailed microclimate study was conducted at the nearby Port of Redwood City, with the specific goal of comparing meteorological parameters to nearby locations on the San Francisco Peninsula
.(Port of Redwood City, 1994) Temperatures, for example, were found to conform closely to those of San Francisco International Airport
and Palo Alto Airport; in contrast, wind speeds at the Port were found to be approximately half the levels of San Francisco Airport. This result is not surprising since Conomos observed that the wind speeds in Northern San Mateo County are high due to the San Bruno Gap in the Santa Cruz Mountains
.(Conomos, 1979) The highest recorded 24-hour rainfall of 4.88 inches was on October 13, 1962. There are an average of 62.1 days with measurable precipitation at this location.
37.50155°N 122.21747°W
Business park
A business park or office park is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential....
located in Redwood City
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, and as of 2007 is one of the largest biotechnology research complexes in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
The property consists of 623000 square feet (57,878.6 m²) of developed building area, and is situated in proximity to the Port of Redwood City
Port of Redwood City
The Port of Redwood City is a marine freight terminal on the western side of the southern San Francisco Bay, on the West Coast of the United States. This marine terminal is situated within the city of Redwood City, California. The port was developed from a natural deepwater channel discovered in...
.(Cutland, 2005); the property is classified as Class A office space and is constructed as a series of separate buildings. The original lands of the Seaport Centre were used as salt evaporation pond
Salt evaporation pond
Salt evaporation ponds, also called salterns or salt pans, are shallow artificial ponds designed to produce salts from sea water or other brines. The seawater or brine is fed into large ponds and water is drawn out through natural evaporation which allows the salt to be subsequently harvested...
s on tidal lands of the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, a land use that started sometime prior to 1940. As of 2002 leasing rates at Seaport Centre were in the range of $27 per square foot per annum.(Ginsburg, 2002) In 2005, Slough Estates, a United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based REIT, purchased the entirety of Seaport Centre to develop it as a biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
research center to compete with the existing biotech hubs in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
and South San Francisco.
The Seaport Centre is located on generally level ground at approximately 25 feet (8 m) above mean sea level. Stormwater surface runoff
Surface runoff
Surface runoff is the water flow that occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the water cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint source...
is pumped from Seaport Centre to discharge into Redwood Creek
Redwood Creek, San Mateo County
Redwood Creek is a stream in San Mateo County, California, USA which discharges into South San Francisco Bay. The Port of Redwood City, the largest deepwater port in South San Francisco Bay, is situated on the east bank of Redwood Creek near its mouth. Extensive mudflats and marsh areas are found...
Aerial photographic history
Due to the large scale of this area and its historical lack of accessibility, the area history can be revealed well with aerial photographic records. In 1989, the firm of Earth Metrics Incorporated conducted a review of historic aerial photographs dating back to 1956.(Earth Metrics, 1989) The Seaport Centre site and its environs, as of the 1956 aerial stereo photo, were essentially undeveloped, although extensive salt evaporation pondSalt evaporation pond
Salt evaporation ponds, also called salterns or salt pans, are shallow artificial ponds designed to produce salts from sea water or other brines. The seawater or brine is fed into large ponds and water is drawn out through natural evaporation which allows the salt to be subsequently harvested...
s were evident on site. Redwood City Planning Department records confirm that the site was used for salt evaporation since sometime prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Analysis of five sets of time staged stereo pairs of aerial photos reveal that the Seaport Centre site remained undeveloped until 1982; up until that time, city records show that the site was zoned as "Tidal Plain", a designation not allowing urban development. Area land use gradually changed from 1956 until 1982, in the form of gradual building development in the local area. As early as 1956 a rail spur
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
is evident, which served the loading of raw sea salt
Sea salt
Sea salt, salt obtained by the evaporation of seawater, is used in cooking and cosmetics. It is historically called bay salt or solar salt...
for export from the area. No agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
history is associated with the site, other than the salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
harvesting.
Early tenants
Since development of Seaport Centre in the early 1980s there has been a consistent trend of the property's use as a research and development hub for the biotech industry. In a 1989 tenant survey, some of the principal tenants present were: Vascualar Interventions Inc., Genelabs Incorporated, Precision Images Inc., Invitron, Charles Evans Inc., ICT Corporation, Resound Incorporated, Ideon Corporation, Cygnus Research Corp, Color Prep, Aurora Systems Inc., Abekus Video Systems Inc., Personics Inc., Instor Corporation and Visucom, Inc.A number of these early firms utilized a variety of hazardous materials in their normal processes. These substances included a variety of toxic solvent
Solvent
A solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...
s and other organic chemicals such as acetone
Acetone
Acetone is the organic compound with the formula 2CO, a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid, the simplest example of the ketones.Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically as the solvent of choice for cleaning purposes in the laboratory...
, benzene
Benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
, methyl ethyl ketone and toluene
Toluene
Toluene, formerly known as toluol, is a clear, water-insoluble liquid with the typical smell of paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, i.e., one in which a single hydrogen atom from the benzene molecule has been replaced by a univalent group, in this case CH3.It is an aromatic...
. Use of such chemicals on site is considered a risk, since the brackish groundwater at the Seaport Centre is shallow.
,
Microclimate
The microclimateMicroclimate
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
at Seaport Centre is similar to that of the Port of Redwood City
Port of Redwood City
The Port of Redwood City is a marine freight terminal on the western side of the southern San Francisco Bay, on the West Coast of the United States. This marine terminal is situated within the city of Redwood City, California. The port was developed from a natural deepwater channel discovered in...
. Microclimates within the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
have certain gross similarities, but some meteorological parameters have pronounced differences. For this reason a detailed microclimate study was conducted at the nearby Port of Redwood City, with the specific goal of comparing meteorological parameters to nearby locations on the San Francisco Peninsula
San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is in Santa Clara County, including the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain...
.(Port of Redwood City, 1994) Temperatures, for example, were found to conform closely to those of San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
and Palo Alto Airport; in contrast, wind speeds at the Port were found to be approximately half the levels of San Francisco Airport. This result is not surprising since Conomos observed that the wind speeds in Northern San Mateo County are high due to the San Bruno Gap in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Santa Cruz Mountains
The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California, United States. They form a ridge along the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco, separating the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley, and continuing south,...
.(Conomos, 1979) The highest recorded 24-hour rainfall of 4.88 inches was on October 13, 1962. There are an average of 62.1 days with measurable precipitation at this location.
See also
- Bair IslandBair IslandBair Island is a marsh area in Redwood City, California covering , and includes three islands: Inner, Middle and Outer islands.Bair Island is part of the larger Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge....
- Seal SloughSeal SloughSeal Slough is a narrow winding tidal channel through a tidal marsh in San Mateo and Foster City, California. This slough has been the object of a wetland restoration project in recent years to enhance habitat value. Dredging has been carried out in Seal Slough since at least 1954...
- Westpoint SloughWestpoint SloughWestpoint Slough is the largest of several sloughs feeding into Redwood Creek in San Mateo County, California, USA. This slough is surrounded by extensive undisturbed marshlands including Greco Island, which forms its northern boundary...
External links
37.50155°N 122.21747°W