Novato growing as flagship biomed hub with Ultragenyx expansion

When Ultragenyx cut the ribbon on a newly constructed research facility designed to study rare diseases, it was no accident that it chose the burgeoning cornerstone of biomed companies in northern Marin County.

The life sciences giant has planted its footprint with now six buildings spanning more than 150,000 square feet in the Novato industrial park deemed a biotech center. The park also houses BioMarin — another biomed company fighting dreaded illnesses that plague children and adults through research and development.

The city of Novato has opened the door for more companies like Ultragenyx to do business. During its May 24 City Council meeting, it approved Planning Commission’s recommendation to allow for another 300,000 square feet for such ventures on the 200-acre campus west of U.S. Highway 101 by changing the park’s master plan and the city’s general plan. It also has enhanced the height threshold to 68 feet.

Councilwoman Denise Athas said there’s a possibility the plan may be amended again to increase the square feet added to 500,000, if traffic measures can be addressed.

“One thing in part of the discussion was the way people work now has changed. Not everybody has a car,” Athas told the Business Journal, referring to the shift to remote work during the pandemic. “We would love to see more life sciences companies coming in. They are a good complement to our city.”

City and company officials have long claimed these life sciences workers tend to make better wages and therefore have money to spend in the local economy.

For now, the city recognizes the industrial park as an area that has evolved over the last quarter century within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector led by BioMarin Pharmaceuticals as early as 2017. Sutter Instrument and Karuna Corporation are also situated close by.

“BioMarin is proud to be a part of Novato’s biotech hub. Novato’s recommendation to adopt zoning amendments that provide a cohesive approach will enable the future growth of BioMarin and other life sciences organizations in the area,” BioMarin spokeswoman Debra Charlesworth told the Business Journal.

City officials and company stakeholders pointed out how these firms not only traditionally thrive within their own surroundings, they tend to prop up other areas of the local economy. Workers may be found in the community getting coffee in the morning, lunch in the afternoon and drinks after a day at the office.

In March 2020, Ultragenyx sent all office staff not associated with lab work home. Out of its more than 1,200 employees working around the planet, 200 of its 300 staffers in Novato now come into the office two days a week.

“What we’re hoping for is to continue to attract really talented research scientists and other professionals for a place known as a destination, a cornerstone for life sciences,” Ultragenyx spokesman and Senior Director Jeff Blake told the Business Journal. said. “We see the city wants to be a leader in attracting these types of companies.”

Blake said it chose Novato to address a growing space crunch for the company in Bel Marin Keys on Leveroni Court.

“At some point, we kinda ran out of room,” Blake said, adding that not expanding “would have slowed us down considerably.”

The new facility, which adds 20,000 square feet of lab space, was completed in December 2019. But the coronavirus outbreak placed a damper on hosting a celebration for a few years.

The June 9 ceremony marked a major advancement in the company goals. Before the research facility accommodating 32 staffers was built, Ultragenyx leased space from the nearby Buck Institute on Research and Aging, paying between $30,000 and $40,000 a year. It still leases some space from the Buck Institute.

To date, Ultragenyx has three first-ever treatments for rare diseases that have been approved for pediatric and adult patients called Crysvita, Dojolvi and Mepsevii.

The company’s additional U.S. locations outside of California are in Utah and Massachusetts; with global offices in Colombia, Argentina, Switzerland, England, Germany, Japan, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, according to Ultragenyx’s website.

This type of prominence has placed the Marin County community on the map on a large scale, according to economic insiders.

“We’re seeing companies like Ultragenyx and BioMarin being super successful on a global scale, and that’s a fantastic signal to other businesses to come here,” Marin Economic Forum CEO Mike Blakeley said. “The city of Novato is working proactively for this fast-growing sector, and that’s important.”

Susan Wood covers law, cannabis, production, tech, energy, transportation, agriculture as well as banking and finance. For 27 years, Susan has worked for a variety of publications including the North County Times, Tahoe Daily Tribune and Lake Tahoe News. Reach her at 530-545-8662 or susan.wood@busjrnl.com.

Staff writer Cheryl Sarfaty contributed to this report.