Industry News

Pixar, a computer animation company, plans to develop the second phase of its corporate campus on 14 company-owned acres in Emeryville. Within the next 60 to 90 days, a preliminary plan for the expansion will be submitted to the City Planning Department, with possible approval by year-end. The original 1996 plans for the site included 415,000 sf, half of which has been developed. No additional environmental review for the project will be required if the new plans retain a similar project scope and location.

UNC Hospitals is planning to replace the Gravely Building, home of the North Carolina Clinical Cancer Center, with a new $140-million cancer tower in Chapel Hill. The 300,000-sf facility will provide complete outpatient cancer care, housing physician and specialist offices, radiation and chemotherapy facilities, and a pharmacy. Part of UNC's facility master plan, the cancer tower, which has yet to be designed, will be developed over the next five years.

Duke University Medical Center in Durham plans to increase outpatient treatment capacity from 80 to 125 patients per day with a $3.5-million renovation of its comprehensive cancer center. Duke will add 10 treatment stations and 27 waiting room chairs.

MBA Polymers, a Richmond plastics recycling company, is raising $3-million in VC funding to design a new commercial plant. The facility will cost approximately $20-million to build. Due to rising energy costs for daytime operations, the plant may not be located in the San Francisco Bay Area, but in a location where the plant can operate at full capacity year-round.

The University of California San Francisco-Parnassus is planning a new $39.7-million seismic replacement laboratory. McCarthy will build the five-story, 86,000-sf facility, which will be completely seismic compliant. Included in the structure, scheduled for June 2004 completion, will be state-of-the-art equipment washing systems and numerous care and surgery facilities. Architect for the project is Flad & Associates of San Francisco.