San Rafael, CA 94901

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August 20, 2015

Planning Commission City of San Rafael 1400 5th Avenue San Rafael, CA 94901 Re: BioMarin’s proposed office building and parking structure expansion

Dear Planning Commissioners: On behalf of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, which represents nearly 600 Marin County businesses with over 12,000 employees, I write to express our support for BioMarin’s new office building and parking structure expansion. BioMarin is a locally grown business that is widely recognized throughout the world as a leader in the biotech industry – a sector that contributes to the economic growth of Marin County. Since relocating to San Rafael in 2012, BioMarin has played an integral role in stimulating our Downtown area with an infusion of new clientele for many of our local businesses. Every weekday, you can find BioMarin employees shopping at our stores, eating in our cafés and restaurants, and bringing positive energy and pedestrian traffic to 4th St. and beyond. BioMarin’s new office building will provide this growing business with the necessary space to thrive in Downtown San Rafael. It will bring quality jobs to our city and generate even greater business opportunities for others in our local economy. BioMarin’s current and future employees also will help to make the launch of the SMART Train a success as workers choose to take a short walk from the nearby station versus driving their cars to work. The San Rafael Chamber believes that BioMarin is a vital contributor to our business community and that this project will substantially strengthen its roots in San Rafael. We look forward to building a long and lasting relationship with BioMarin as they expand their corporate headquarters in our city. We recommend that the Planning Commission support this proposal. We appreciate your consideration of our support. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Joanne Webster President and CEO San Rafael Chamber of Commerce cc: Board of Directors (via email)

817 Mission Avenue - San Rafael, CA 94901 - (415) 454-4163 - www.srchamber.com