SAN RAFAEL -- MCE Clean Energy, a public, not-for-profit electricity provider that gives customers a choice of having much or all of their electricity supplied from renewable sources such as solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal and hydroelectric, will move into a new San Rafael office next spring to make way for a growing biopharmaceutical company.
[caption id="attachment_99469" align="alignright" width="228"] Emily Goodwin, MCE Clean Energy[/caption]
The move to 10,710-square-foot office at 700 Fifth Ave. is slated to take place in March, according to Emily Goodwin, director of internal operations, who negotiated the lease.
The organization has a 2014--2015 budget of $101 million.
The move is prompted by expansion of BioMarin Pharmaceutical into the entire floor of the MCE offices in the San Rafael Corporate Center development. The agency joins US Sports Camps and Private Ocean Wealth Management as tenants in the development that have been relocating as BioMarin expands.
"That is our predicament," Ms. Goodwin said. "BioMarin has worked to make this the least painful as possible."
BioMarin, founded in 1997 in Novato, develops treatments for rare genetic diseases. BioMarin bought the San Rafael Corporate Center in March for $116.5 million after moving its headquarters there from Novato two years ago.
BioMarin, with CEO Jean-Jacques Bienaime, has about 1,500 employees worldwide and revenue of about $550 million.
In the new lease, MCE Clean Energy will have to pay for only 6,500 square feet in the first year, 8,500 square feet in year two, then for all of the space in year three. About 2,000--2,500 square feet may be available to sublease, Ms. Goodwin said.
The monthly rent is $3.26 per square foot, a bit cheaper than the current lease of $3.35, which is for about 5,000 square feet at 781 Lincoln Ave.
Founded in 2008 as Marin Clean Energy and launching service in 2010, the agency was California's first community-choice aggregation program (CCA). The organization partners with PG&E to bill and deliver electricity to 12,216 commercial customers and 105,529 residential customers as of August.
MCE is governed by a 13-member board, representing cities including Belvedere, Corte Maders, Larkspur, Mill Valley, Tiburon, Sausalito, Fairfax, Ross, San Anselmo, Novato, San Rafael and Richmond, as well as the county of Marin. The organization may expand to Napa in February and San Pablo in May, Ms. Goodwin said, possibly adding two or three new employees.
Some of the unused space will be used to showcase an energy technology library, she said.
In the 10-year lease deal signed Sept. 11, Trevor Buck and Steven Leonard of Cassidy Turley represented the Shuels who own 700 Fifth. Kevin Delehanty, Haden Ongaro and Mark Carrington of Newmark Cornish & Carey represented MCE.
The lease was one of the largest office deals in Marin County in the third quarter. Other large leases in the year include BioMarin offshoot Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical's 24,000-square-foot expansion into former Disney ImageMovers space at 60 Leveroni in Novato and Mighty Leaf Tea's 10,000-square-foot lease at 100 Smith Ranch Rd. in San Rafael.
Staff Reporter Jeff Quackenbush contributed to this report.
