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Dear RGM Supporters, Last month, two members of the RGM team, Susan and David, met with San Rafael District 4’s City Councilmember, Rachel Kertz, for an informal conversation. Councilmember Kertz will be holding an online “town hall” event on Thursday July 24 at 7pm, to discuss city initiatives including how the City processes large housing project submissions. This is an opportunity for us all to learn more about how our city works and we encourage our San Rafael members and supporters to join this online event. Date: Thursday, July 24 Time: 7 PM Location: Virtual Only (will be recorded) Registration Link: Here Meeting ID: 842 8664 1722 + Passcode: 539270 Note: Advance registration is required
Councilmember Kertz noted that following RGM’s late-April eblast about the proposed 7-story apartment block at 555 Northgate Drive she received a number of accusatory messages. We hope that everyone who attends the event will be polite and respectful. This will not be a time to discuss the details of any particular project but instead to understand how the City processes these applications. Knowledge is power – come to the meeting to learn. Rachel had previously emailed RGM, concerned that our April eblast contained some inaccuracies about 555 Northgate. Therefore, we would like to clarify and reiterate what we said: The project is an SB 330 application – originally submitted on September 5, 2024 as a pre-application and then on September 10 as a full SB 330 application; Under the SB 330 process, the City has little ability to regulate or influence many aspects of the project – for example, zoning, overall design, density, parking requirements, set-backs, size, height, and open space; The project has not yet been approved (the City recently restated that the application is not yet complete); The developer applied for a CEQA exemption – meaning that if granted, the environmental impacts (including construction) will not be considered; The proposed building will be 7 stories high (five stories of apartments over a two story parking lot; and 80% of the proposed 200 one and two bedroom apartments will be designated “affordable”, 19% will be designated “moderate income” and 1% is for managers. Before approved, the proposal must be analyzed by the City’s planning staff and discussed at public meetings. Unlike the Northgate Town Square project, however, the SB 330 process limits public meetings to a total of 5, including any appeal hearing.
Please remember that Rachel is one of five members of the City Council and is not solely responsible for approving (or denying) this (or any) project or application. The Northgate Mall and the 555 Northgate projects are just two of many large housing projects proposed for San Rafael – we think you’ll be surprised by the extent of these developments. More information can be found at https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/major-planning-projects-2025/ We are also including a link to a brief summary video made by another organization showing many (but not all) of the current proposals. Please note that we do not endorse the political statements in the video, but we include the link because it gives a good recap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mjxZKRhozg We suggested that the City should include a list of all the new major project applications submitted to the City in its bimonthly newsletter (“Snapshot”). This would help the City keep its residents informed of proposed new projects without residents having to search the City’s website on a weekly basis. We all agreed that transparency in communications between residents and the City is an essential part of how any City should operate. The City has recently improved its planning department website to give residents more information. Take a look and bring your feedback to the online townhall! We encourage everyone to attend Rachel’s online townhall and to learn more generally about the approvals process for the projects that are going to impact our City. With much gratitude, RGM
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