Terra Linda emerges

In 1953, 400 acres of northern San Rafael (Previously owned by the Manuel T. Freitas family since 1896.) were sold for residential subdivision under the Terra Linda Master Plan.  Rose Freitas, one of Manuel and Maria’s daughters, suggested the name “Terra Linda” which means “beautiful land” in Portuguese.  Additional acreage was sold to commercial developers after the Terra Linda ranch was closed, and the Terra Linda Valley developed rapidly.   The Freitas farmhouse was donated to the Catholic Church and became St. Isabella’s Church and School. 

About 900 mid-century modern homes in Terra Linda were built by Joseph Eichler from 1955 to 1965.  Eichler’s vision was a democratized ideal – an opportunity for middle class homeowners to live private lives in touch with nature.  An admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright, Eichler created homes with open floor plans, post and beam construction, and glass walls that “bring the outside in”. He also designed a strong sense of community with attention to street layout, schools and recreation. Contrary to prevailing practices at the time, Eichler also made a policy of not restricting sales to anyone based on race or ethnicity and supported the creation of state and national fair housing laws. Streamlined, well-preserved Eichler homes are still beloved by homeowners and the design community and provide an historic element to the neighborhood.

At first Terra Linda was primarily a “bedroom community”, with one small market, Scotty’s Market, opened in 1957. The first school, Bernard Hoffman School, opened in 1955, followed soon by four other elementary schools and by Terra Linda High School in 1960.  

Commercial development also soon proceeded rapidly, with the construction begun at Northgate Industrial Park in 1962, at the Marin Civic Center in 1962, and at Northgate Mall in 1963.   

Northgate Fashion Mall in Terra Linda was inaugurated on March 11, 1965. Opening ceremony was attended by city officials and members of the Freitas family who had sold the land to developers. Anchored by Sears and the Emporium (and later featuring a smaller version of City of Paris), the open-air mall with plants, reflecting pools and fountain was designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, who also landscaped the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the F.D.R. Memorial in Washington, D.C., Ghirardelli Square, Levi Plaza and Sea Ranch in Sonoma County. Immediately Northgate Fashion Mall became a destination not only for Marinites but for residents throughout the Bay area and tourists.

While these projects were being completed in the following decade, Terra Linda also saw expansion of Highway 101 into a freeway, construction of Kaiser Hospital (1976), condos developed at the western end of Freitas Parkway, and apartment buildings, condominiums, medical and general offices, senior housing, two more shopping centers, and a major hotel added to the community. 

For more interesting information of this period, see these oral histories in the Marin County library (note—to read the transcript or the narrative summary, you need to click on the double arrows on the top right of the page):

Catherine Munson

Larry Mulryan

North San Rafael is known for its strong civic spirit and community pride.  Volunteer participation in schools, youth organizations, homeowner associations, and business, civic, park and environmental groups is robust throughout our community.  This strong civic engagement has its foundation on a long history of citizen participation and activism on behalf of the community.

When Terra Linda was first developed, residents banded together to help each other, whether by carpooling with kids in the back seat to buy groceries “over the hill” or by teaching outdoor classes in the surrounding hills to elementary students.  The community was also politically active.

When Terra Linda was annexed to San Rafael in 1972, local citizens negotiated with San Rafael for construction of a community center and pool in the valley. In 1974, residents helped create the County’s oldest and largest community garden on school property adjacent to Terra Linda High School. Most significantly, in 1975, when developments were proposed on the hillsides surrounding the Terra Linda valley, residents organized a local bond measure and partnered with the City and County to purchase these hillsides. This 1172-acre preserve, the Terra Linda-Sleepy Hollow Open Space, is now managed by Marin County and is a major ecosystem and recreation resource, as well as a beautiful backdrop for the Terra Linda community.

For more interesting information on this period, see these oral histories from the Marin County library:

Jean Starkweather

Sue Beittel

The North San Rafael Town Center and Promenade

Revision of San Rafael’s General Plan 2000 in 1988 stimulated a group of homeowner and neighborhood associations to band together in a larger organization, the North San Rafael Coalition of Residents, to represent the interests of the greater northern San Rafael area (zip code 94903) in City and County planning decisions.   This group was an active advocate for the community for more than twenty years.

In 1993, the City of San Rafael embarked on a new type of planning process, engaging city residents in creating a “vision” for Downtown San Rafael.   When this was completed, creating a “vision” for North San Rafael followed in 1996.  

Community members served on the Steering Committee that directed this two-year visioning process, which included a series of workshops and activities in which over 200 Terra Linda residents participated. Focus sessions and public meetings with 43 neighborhood and school groups and questionnaires that generated 3,500 comments on how residents would like the community to change and stay the same in the future resulted in the creation of the 1997 Vision North San Rafael 2010, an outline for the community’s future which has been incorporated into all subsequent City planning documents. 

Two primary goals described in the North San Rafael Vision were:

• the creation of an east-west North San Rafael Promenade to provide a safe pedestrian and bicycle path from the Terra Linda Shopping Center (Scotty’s Market) to the Marin Civic Center, reuniting neighborhoods that are separated by Highway 101

• the creation of a North San Rafael Town Center in the Northgate area, an updated focal point for the community with restaurants, cafes, improved retail and services, and gathering places such as public plazas, performance areas, community rooms, youth and library services. The town center was described as “a focal point where community values, history and identity are expressed and strengthened, while neighborhood cohesion is fostered. Over time, the Town Center would change, expand and evolve to become the heart of the North San Rafael community” 

Community engagement with the North San Rafael Vision has continued.  In 2002, residents again gathered for workshops and public meetings to create a Conceptual Plan for the North San Rafael Promenade, a blueprint for constructing the Promenade as funds became available through development of adjacent properties.  In 2010, with urging from local residents, the first segment of the Promenade was constructed around Northgate Mall.

San Rafael residents have continued to play an active role in other planning efforts such as San Rafael General Plan 2020, Civic Center Station Area Plan (2012), and Department of Public Works Advisory Committee for extending the Promenade along Merrydale Road (2016).

For more interesting information about this period, see these oral histories in the Marin County library (note—to read the transcript or the narrative summary, you need to click on the double arrows on the top right of the page):

Shirley Fischer

San Rafael residents, businesses and organizations, including Responsible Growth in Marin, work with City staff on drafting San Rafael’s General Plan 2040, which provides guidelines for our community and city over the next 20 years.