Excerpt:

Since the middle of last month, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has been listening to the proposals of cities stretching from Richmond to Alameda in order to decide where the lab will erect a second campus.

According to lab spokesperson Jon Weiner, the proposed second campus is an effort to consolidate lab programs currently in leased spaces throughout the Bay Area, provide room for future lab growth, and provide long-term cost savings as the laboratory pursues its scientific research mission.

In January, the UC issued a Request for Qualifications on behalf of the lab so that a decision for the second campus’ site could be made, according to Weiner. The campus should have approximately 800 people and be an estimated 475,000 square feet, he added.