RGM Newsletter JAN/FEB ‘23

RGM WEBSITE UPDATE

Dear RGM Supporter,

On January 26, 2023, Merlone Geier, the Northgate Developer, organized and conducted an Open House at Northgate Mall. Visuals and plans were presented and available for comment at 7+ presentation stations around the Center Court, manned by various people working for MG. Also on site was Bianca Neumann, Director of Business Development for EAH, the local affordable housing agency that will be building the affordable housing units at Northgate.

This event was designed to give the community an opportunity to learn more about the Northgate Redevelopment Project, ask questions of the project representatives and offer feedback.

Ten members of Responsible Growth in Marin attended this 2-hour presentation, talked with all presenters and listened to various conversations throughout the evening.

The following summarizes some of the predominant topics that were discussed and the concerns that were expressed by the community from the conversations we observed that evening.

Major Community Concerns Overview:

Inconsistent Answers from Owner/Consultants
• information provided to individual community members was not always consistent:
-some representatives stated that Merlone Geier was listening and changes would be made
-others stated that at this stage there is not much they can do
Traffic and Emergency Evacuation
• traffic impacting freeway on-ramps and surrounding neighborhoods even though we were told traffic would be greater in the morning and less in the afternoon
• emergency evacuation of the entire neighborhood with this large development right at the freeway access point
Building Height and Density
• 6 and 7-story buildings are too tall and out of character with the surrounding neighborhood
• sun shading and wind tunnel concerns
• too hard to visualize the actual impacts, need a 3D virtual model prior to approval
Open Space
•Town Square and open space are insufficient for a project of this size with 3,600+ new residents and surrounding community
• food truck/events space will be too cramped for meaningful community events
• performance space should be larger
• dog park should be separated from the Town Square
Affordable Housing
• concern about the design and operation of affordable housing
• should provide supportive services
• design should be similar to market-rate housing and have comparable amenities
• need for housing specifically for local service workers, teachers, police and firemen, etc.
Retail and Services
• a variety of retail and restaurants, including specialty and local, should be provided
• grocery store high on the list
• services such as cleaners, personal care, etc.
Circulation and Community/Transit Connections
• North San Rafael Promenade, including access to the SMART Train, should be completed and bike/pedestrian access optimized
• safe bus stops, bicycle routes, pedestrian walkways and transit connections are critical
• ride share locations and alternative forward-thinking transit ideas are not accommodated such as car-share and bike-share options

TWO PRIORITY DEVELOPMENT AREAS (PDAs) AWARDED TO THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL

North San Rafael (including the Northgate neighborhood) and Southeast San Rafael (including the Canal neighborhood) were recently each awarded a $797,000 grant which will allow city planners to create precise development plans specifically for those areas.

What is a PDA?

A “PDA” is a place that has convenient public transit service that is prioritized by local governments for housing, jobs and services.

A PDA also refers to a funding and planning tool which can provide a funding source to develop and adopt a Specific Plan for an area. The Specific Plan sets forth the type and amount of land uses and type of development that is or is not allowed, regulates future growth and determines needed or planned infrastructure improvements for the Plan area.

Will the Northgate Town Square be included in the PDA?

Northgate Town Square is within the boundaries of the North San Rafael PDA. However, it and other projects already in the approval process will not be subject to new rules developed in the Specific Plan for the PDA.

Visit the Marin IJ for more information.

RGM’s POSITION ON HOUSING

As a matter of politics, the state, the county and the city are all in favor of building significant quantities of housing. And housing, especially low-income housing, is needed in Marin - many of our kids can’t afford to live here and neither can many of the people who work here. Although the prospect of ~900 housing units in Phase I and a further 400-500 units in Phase II is more than RGM would like, housing advocacy groups have pressed for even more. And in fact, the mall area is already zoned for over 1,900 housing units - meaning that even Merlone Geier’s maximum housing unit scenario means about 25% fewer units than would be allowed - without any change of zoning. This does not mean that RGM is doing nothing - we are working hard, both with the City and with Merlone Geier, to influence what will be built to better fit the needs of the community and be more aligned with the existing neighborhood. We are also prepared to hire experts to double-check both the City’s and Merlone Geier’s reports (such as the Environmental Impact Report) to ensure that all parties are forthright.

The Regional Housing Needs Allocation (“RHNA”) set by the state means around 3,200 housing units must be built in San Rafael by 2031. In truth, there is almost nowhere else in the city where a significant amount of housing can be built. In-fill housing in the downtown and Westend areas can only provide so much and the Canal area has already very high density. It is also a fact of life that mid-market malls such as Northgate are failing across the country, and are being redeveloped for mixed use - which both provides needed housing and also supports brick-and-mortar retail by providing a built-in consumer base. If the city does not approve the number of housing units required by RHNA, the state can effectively “rubber stamp” housing development applications, riding rough-shod over the city’s planning restrictions such as zoning, density and parking requirements, etc. And in fact, housing advocacy groups (backed by a realtor’s association) have already sued three Marin cities (Novato, Fairfax and Belvedere) for not submitting Housing Element Plans on time, threatening to invoke this rubber stamp law (known as the “builder’s remedy”). For these reasons, RGM decided to work with the City and Merlone Geier to make the Northgate project the best it can be, and we have already significantly influenced the plans to better fit the needs of the community and be more in character with the existing neighborhood.

RGM NEWSLETTER UPDATE

Our bi-monthly RGM Newsletter will transition into a 6-month cycle going forward so that we can refocus our energy on the most urgent topics including the upcoming Draft Environmental Impact Report and the Northgate Development Agreement which currently are underway.

Please look to receive RGM emails which will keep you updated with immediate CALLS TO ACTION including San Rafael City meetings, letter-writing campaigns, important information regarding the Northgate Redevelopment Project, and other relevant North San Rafael activities.

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