Planning code dispute could jeopardize S.F. biotech incubator project

At the root of the opposition is a dispute over the city’s determination that the planned building qualifies as a “non-life sciences” laboratory building. While zoning in the Dogpatch allows laboratory spaces to be constructed at the project site — located at 700 Indiana, in what is known as an Urban Mixed-Use (UMU) district — “life sciences” uses are not permitted. The definitions of laboratories and life sciences spaces overlap, but there are differences: the former applies to “specialized facilities” that are intended primarily for “scientific research,” while the latter...