... some San Carlos officials were wistful at the prospect of losing one of their city's most famed local businesses.
"I'm very glad they're staying in California," said Sheryl Pomerenk, of the San Carlos Chamber of Commerce. "But of course I wish it were San Carlos."
Council Member Matt Grocott described the move as "regrettable" but acknowledged that San Carlos doesn't have the land area to accommodate a factory.
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"One of the big appeals of the San Jose site was that it was so large that we could make a consolidated campus and stay in Silicon Valley," said Tesla spokeswoman Rachel Konrad. "The Bay Area is pretty densely packed - There's not a lot of places where you can get 89 acres."
The fate of the company's San Carlos offices remained less clear Wednesday.
Konrad said all R&D and corporate functions would eventually move to San Jose, assuming the deal goes through. But "it's impossible to say for certain what will remain in San Carlos," she added.
However, if the proposed San Jose development fails an upcoming environment inspection, Tesla would consider building an assembly plant in Vacaville and keeping its headquarters in San Carlos - the company's home since its 2003 launch, Konrad said.
Assistant City Manager Brian Moura speculated that the company might hold on to the San Carlos office space even if it moves most of its operations to San Jose.
"They've been expanding pretty rapidly and they keep expanding, so who knows, they may need the space here in addition to what they're doing in San Jose," Moura said.
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