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Over the past few months RGM has sent out a number of communications asking for your support for two significant San Rafael City initiatives: Priority Development Area and traffic methodologies. Several of you contacted us to find out how these initiatives tied-in with RGM’s mission to exclude big-box stores from Northgate Mall in favor of community-centered, responsible development. Priority Development Area In June, RGM supported the San Rafael’s nomination of North San Rafael/Northgate as a Priority Development Area (PDA) which will provide state funds to develop a “Specific Plan” for Northgate that brings together the City, the mall owners, and—most importantly—the community. Approximately by October 2020, the city will know if the application for PDA designation is accepted and if so, funding will be allocated by the end of the year. RGM is confident the PDA will be a valuable asset in shaping the future of Northgate as a sustainable mixed-use Town Center that the community has envisioned since 1997, and which is included in San Rafael’s Draft General Plan 2040. Made worse by Covid-19, the city is facing an $11.8 million budget deficit. Although the tax revenue that could be generated from a Costco Wholesale Warehouse might be tempting for the short term, RGM opposes this short-term fix, in favor of a holistic site-specific plan that will be profitable for the city, community and the mall owner far into the future. The PDA helps ensure this vision. However, the mall owner has the right to sell the Northgate property at any time, and it can also submit its own plan to the Planning Commission before the state provides funding for the PDA, thus attempting to override a community-backed Specific Plan. We are hopeful that with your help we can influence the city to embrace a Specific Plan and not accept a short-term fix relying on problematic big-box megastores. Differing Traffic Methodologies In addition, RGM identified a bureaucratic loophole that could have threatened our mission to keep out unbridled development and big-box megastores from Northgate Mall. When a developer submits an application for a large new development it is mandated by law that the effect of the development on local traffic is analyzed. So if the owners of Northgate Mall were to apply to build a big-box warehouse, a traffic study would be required. In the past, Level of Service (LOS) was used by the city of San Rafael. This method measures the local impact of congestion and traffic conditions on surrounding intersections and roads. Congestion on the local roads surrounding Northgate could greatly impact and delay emergency vehicles and create life threatening consequences during evacuation. In addition, congestion generates air pollution, noise pollution, emotional stress and directly affects the quality of life. The economic vitality of a community can also be hindered as people avoid businesses where traffic is too congested. Recently, the State of California mandated that all cities utilize Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). VMT shifts the focus of traffic review from local impacts like traffic congestion to regional impacts like greenhouse gas emissions caused by long distance vehicle travel. When RGM learned that the city was considering only using the VMT methodology, we understood this could undermine our mission. Through a variety of actions, including communicating with the City, designing a letter writing campaign and attendance at City Council meetings, RGM helped sway the City Council to vote YES on retaining LOS. In good part because of our collective actions, San Rafael now must measure both traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions for any new, large development be it Northgate or anywhere in San Rafael. Thank you to those of you who called and/or emailed city council members and attended the city council Zoom meeting! This is the way positive change happens.
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