FREMONT — Construction of a massive industrial complex in South Fremont began this week, with a development team and city officials holding a groundbreaking ceremony and Mayor Raj Salwan hoping that his city “is where the future gets built.”
The 473,250-square-foot complex spread over six buildings is only missing a key tenant, said Salwan, who added he is “all in on the AI boom.”
“We’re here, not just to break ground, but to lay the foundation for Fremont’s future,” Salwan said Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony. “This project deserves a marquee tenant.”
The Campus at Bayside project is from developers CBRE, 9th St. Partners and Clarion Partners, who are searching for companies to open up shop in the Warm Springs neighborhood’s Bayside Technology Park, which is also home to Tesla, Zoox, Bloom Energy and Seagate. In 2022, Clarion bought the nearly 28-acre property located at Lakeview and Gateway boulevards for $123.3 million from developers John Arrillaga and Richard Peery.
The developers said the complex’s need for power is significantly higher than other similar industrial properties in the region. Five of the six buildings are expected to be able to push out 4,000 amps at 480 volts per building.
Salwan invited tech companies with innovative focuses — such as artificial intelligence and air-taxis, or flying passenger vehicles — to consider leasing or buying any or all of the project’s six buildings.
The campus will open in two phases. First, about 250,000 square feet over three buildings will be finished in the middle of next year, with the rest happening at a to-be-determined date.
Salwan called the development “exceedingly rare” in the Bay Area, noting how many tech companies’ work-from-home policies have driven workers out of offices since the coronavirus pandemic. The mayor considered the campus something to celebrate because it is expected to appeal to assembly line-style tech manufacturers.
He also doubled down on his desire to bring more artificial intelligence-focused businesses to the city.
“That’s the future,” Salwan said. “We want to embrace it, and we know that’s going to disrupt a lot of industries.”
Tom Ashcraft, a co-founder for 9th St. Partners, called the development “a much needed project for advanced manufacturing.” He also said companies that could “support the continued growth of AI” would be a good fit for the complex.
Matt Taylor, of CBRE, said the development will be “a unique campus” for the “higher-end motif in the area.”
