RGM WEBSITE UPDATE

Dear RGM Supporters,

Last month, Merlone Geier Partners (MG), Northgate Mall owners, revealed their proposal for Northgate at a Community Forum that RGM attended.

Since RGM’s inception in 2019, our Vision has remained strong and unfaltering.  We are committed “to shaping the future of North San Rafael including Northgate Mall into a profitable and sustainable mixed-use commercial/residential development, making it a vibrant community destination for neighborhood-scale businesses, retail and entertainment.”

Our Vision has not changed but our website has!  We invite you to visit RGM’s newly updated website to learn more about our organization, accomplishments, the history of our community and importantly, what’s next.  

RGM’s Community Vision Team has created a slide show showcasing the Town Center concept that the community has been dreaming of for over 20 years. Take a peek and imagine what the new Northgate can become - a bustling sustainable LIVE WORK PLAY community connected with tree lined streets, outdoor dining, unique shopping, pocket parks and a village green where the community can gather throughout the year for entertainment and specials events. Imagine concerts, theater, events for kids and even dancing under the stars!  This would be a destination for all Marinites.

Want to keep informed on relevant press articles, RGM Letters to the City or browse our archives? Check out our resources page.

NORTHGATE UPDATE

THE BIG ELEPHANT MIGHT BE “OUT” OF THE MALL BUT WHAT’S “IN” FOR NORTHGATE?

MG heard us and in March 2021 scrapped the Costco and gas pumps proposal.  Instead, they submitted an application for a complete redevelopment plan for the Northgate Mall, proposing a small Town Square with a residential focus ultimately including 1345 housing units.  MG’s plan includes reducing the retail aspect of the mall by around two-thirds, converting the remaining retail space into an open-air shopping center and expanding the movie theater to include an IMAX theater.

San Rafael officials are reviewing the application for completeness and a public hearing on the proposal has not yet been scheduled.

Phase I (2021-2028)

• 896 rental units in four three- and four-story apartment buildings on the southern and eastern edge of the property 

Phase II (2028-2040)

• 460 rental units in two five-story apartment buildings 

MG hosted two online Community Forums in March and April to introduce its plan for a Northgate Square.  It invited participation from the community.

RGM welcomed the invitation and participated in both forums. We enthusiastically look forward to the revitalization of the Mall. Nonetheless, after studying the application we identified many concerns and realized that there are still many unknowns in the MG proposal.

RGM’s CONCERNS

Below are some of the key concerns that we’ve initially identified.

TOWN CENTER

• A Town Center should be a “Public or Village Green” for North San Rafael, featuring a space where the community gathers for entertainment, events and performances.  MG’s proposal omits this key aspect 

• Instead of a Town Center, MG’s proposal includes a large asphalt parking lot as its “Town Square”

• At the forum, MG described the central parking lots as the “Hub of the Project”

• The requirement of a Town Center element has been in the 1997 San Rafael Vision and 2020 and 2040 General Plans for over 20 years but is NOT included in MG’s proposal

1356 UNITS OF RENTAL HOUSING

• This enormous amount of high density housing will change the character of the area overwhelming already over-burdened civic resources – water, sanitation, local schools, and streets

• We fully agree that additional housing is needed in Marin and in San Rafael and Northgate is an obvious place.  But we cannot build pockets of high density that can degrade into blighted urban cores. New housing needs to be spread throughout the city and the county equitably

• There are no options for townhouses for private ownership 

• The plan doesn’t define the distribution of affordable units dispersed throughout the project as delineated in the Housing Element of the General Plan.  Instead, the proposed affordable housing is concentrated in one area – a concept almost universally considered exclusionary and inequitable

• The plan doesn’t clearly define retail and other services necessary for daily living.  These elements are important for new residents and those in the surrounding areas alike and are important to reduce additional vehicle trips to outside areas

SCALE, DENSITY AND HEIGHT

• The massive 5 story structures at the perimeter are much too large and completely insensitive to the surrounding neighborhoods.  The height and mass of the buildings at the edges of the area should be reduced and avoid the appearance of a fortress

• The plan should be adjusted to focus height and density at the center and west side instead of the south and east near historic Eichlers

• Housing should be considered for the Northgate III property where it would be much more appropriate for the site and closer to the SMART station

CIRCULATION ROADWAYS, BIKEWAYS AND THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD

• Welcoming walk and bike pathways and pocket parks with more trees at the perimeter roads, connecting gracefully to existing neighborhood are not well defined 

• The project needs to include much more outdoor space with reduced housing density at the southern end to make the project more appealing and integrate with the surrounding neighborhood

WHAT’S NEXT AND HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

We encourage everyone to keep engaged - access the RGM calendar, the MG and City websites.  Please participate in meetings/activities and look for RGM emails and updates.

STAY ALERT TO MAKE SURE THIS DOESN’T GET FAST TRACKED AND LEAVE US IN THE DUST!

DID YOU KNOW? A GLIMPSE INTO OUR PAST…

Early history of Irish settlers in North San Rafael

Turning back the clock to the early part of the 19th century, one interesting historical fact is the role of Irish settlers who acquired vast properties in Marin County through land grants from the Mexican government. Who knew?

At the time, California, referred to as “Alta California,” was straddling a split allegiance between Mexico and the US prior to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that resolved the Mexican-American War in 1848. The Irish were attracted to the “Mexican West” by their desire to own land, work at farming as well as avoid the anti-Irish racism that was common in the East. Competition for control of California also took on religious overtones with the Mexicans preferring Catholic settlements and the US preferring Protestant communities. The treaty stipulated that the US pay Mexico $13 million dollars plus $3.5 million in restitutions to Mexican land owners in return for ownership of  present day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. What a deal!

The first wave of Irish immigration was underway in the early part of the century. At the time, San Francisco rivaled Boston and New York for the most Irish in the US. Timoteo Murphy, who arrived in 1829 was given a land grant or “rancho” to settle some 21,000 acres in Marin, covering most of San Rafael including today’s Marinwood, Lucas Valley, Terra Linda, Santa Venetia and the San Pedro Peninsula. In addition, Mexico appointed Murphy to be the Administrator of the Mission of San Rafael, in which he served for twenty five years

These land grants are significant because they established permanent land-use patterns and boundaries that became the basis for California's land survey system. According to Mary McCloy of the Irish Historical Society, the "rancheros (rancho owners) patterned themselves after the landed gentry of New Spain, an influence passed down from their Mexican affiliations in the early days of the 19th century.

STAY CONNECTED

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