RGM & THE NORTH SAN RAFAEL Priority Development Area (PDA)
6/24/2020
On June 15, 2020 the City Council of San Rafael voted to adopt a resolution authorizing the submittal of a Letter of Interest (LOI) nominating North San Rafael/Northgate as a Priority Development Areas (PDA) as Part of the Plan Bay Area 2050 Program.
It is expected that the city will be informed of the acceptance of their application by August 2020 and funding will be allocated by October 2020.
Why does RGM support a PDA designation?
A PDA would support the development of a North San Rafael/Northgate town center which the community has been striving to implement for many years. The PDA would help obtain the funding needed to bring together the major stakeholders — residents, property owners, businesses and San Rafael officials — to create a viable holistic plan.
Want to learn more about the PDA? Below are a few key questions/answers from the City of San Rafael’s website. Please visit their website for more information: (website link here)
What is a PDA?
First, a Priority Development Area or “PDA” is a place that has convenient public transit service that is prioritized by local governments (cities/counties) for housing, jobs and services. PDAs range from Downtowns to Main Streets to aging shopping malls.
Second, a PDA is a funding and planning tool. If a local jurisdiction voluntarily nominates an area for PDA designation, the designation provides the local jurisdiction with access to funds and grants to: a) develop and adopt area Plans to plan for, design and regulate future growth of the area; and b) constructed needed and/or planned infrastructure improvements.
PDAs are voluntarily nominated by the local jurisdiction. Further, the local jurisdiction has the full discretion to set the boundaries of the PDA within the eligible PDA areas that have been identified by Plan Bay Area.
By nominating a PDA, San Rafael is prioritizing a community-driven planning process looking at housing, jobs and services, and intensified land uses within this area.
Can a PDA be removed by the City?
Yes. After a PDA has been designated, it can be removed at any time by the local jurisdiction. This process is known as a rescinding a PDA. A designated PDA can be removed by the City Council adopting a resolution rescinding the PDA. While removing the PDA is immediate, it may continue to appear as a PDA until the next update of Plan Bay Area (updated every four years).
How would a PDA designation affect the Costco proposal and process for Northgate Mall?
Establishing a PDA designation that includes Northgate Mall would have no impact on City permit and review process for a Costco proposal. The PDA designation is a planning and funding tool. In and of itself, a PDA holds no authority or power over City zoning or development review. This lack of authority would apply to Costco or any other project proposed.
A PDA can provide a funding source to develop and adopt a Specific Plan for an area. A Specific Plan is structured to include both land use policies and zoning regulations. The Specific Plan sets forth the type and amount of land uses and type of development that are allowed or not allowed for the Plan area.
Besides being a funding tool, the PDA commits the City and developer to work with the community to develop a specific plan. RGM is committed to being involved in this process so that we can have a voice in the development of Northgate Mall with the goal of creating a vibrant mixed-use town center that supports our vision.
Click here for more information about the PDA on the City of San Rafael’s website.
6/9/2020
After careful consideration, including participation in the City of San Rafael’s community meetings, RGM is supporting the proposal before the city council to designate the Northgate area of North San Rafael as a Priority Development Area (PDA). This is why:
The PDA requirements have significantly changed since 2013, and PDA designation does not affect the City’s control over new development review, zoning, and land use.
RGM has been influential in getting a program included in San Rafael’s General Plan 2040 to create and fund a specific plan for this “town center” area, which Terra Linda residents have sought since 1997. By designating a PDA for the North San Rafael/Northgate area (NSR), the City can obtain the funding needed to create an integrated plan for Northgate I and III shopping centers, working with the community and the property owner.
This community-based planning process, funded through the PDA, will determine how much, how high, and how dense housing and other development will be in this area.
The boundaries of the areas designated in a PDA can change based on the community-driven plan and the City can withdraw without penalty and without returning funds used, provided the funds were used to create the plan.
Based on the success of the San Rafael Downtown 2009 PDA, which developed the Downtown Precise Plan through a community-driven process without pressure from or intervention by regional agencies, RGM is confident that a PDA for NSR would be a valuable asset in helping to shape the future of this area to include the vision for a Northgate Town Center.
In RGM’s opinion the City Planning Department did an excellent job in presenting this initiative and addressing the community’s questions via outreach through virtual meetings and developing thorough information and FAQs on their website.
Please take action to help ensure the City’s ratification of the PDA.
5/27/2020
On Monday, May 18, 2020, the San Rafael City Council met for their bi-monthly meeting. Included in their agenda were discussion and a vote to determine if they should submit a Letter of Interest to request that the North San Rafael/Northgate area be designated as a Priority Development Area (PDA) by the State of California.
The PDA is a planning and funding tool that would support the development of a Specific/Precise Plan for the area. The Specific/Precise Plan would be incorporated into the General Plan 2040 Neighborhood Element.
Since creating these Plans are quite costly, the city is highly dependent on funding sources like the PDA and even more so now with the huge deficit that the city faces due to the current Covid-19 pandemic.
As stated in the city’s agenda: “The definition of a PDA has changed since its inception in 2007; PDAs are now more broadly defined as places with convenient public transit service prioritized by local governments for housing, jobs, and services. PDAs are voluntarily nominated by cities and counties and are key to focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, meeting the housing needs of every community, and advancing equity, mobility, and economic vitality.”
According to the city, the PDA would not have any impact on their jurisdiction over zoning, development review or land use.
[Read the city’s entire report]
The deadline to file for the PDA is May 31, 2020. The next PDA cycle would be 2024. If for any reason, the city decides that they do not want to participate in the program after acceptance, they can rescind the PDA at any time without penalty.
The San Rafael City Council unanimously voted in favor of filing the Letter of Interest. If approved, the city must ratify and sign by June 30th.
At the meeting there were numerous comments and questions from the attendees. The city committed to reach out directly to the community to offer additional opportunities to discuss the PDA, noting that the topic is quite complicated and there have been many changes since 2013 when the city last applied for PDA designation.
From June 2-4, 2020 the city will host Virtual Community Meetings to provide more information about the PDA application and allow for public feedback.
To attend a meeting, you must sign-up and RSVP on the city’s website.
The website also contains facts about PDAs and a feedback page where you can post comments. Post meeting videos will be available as well as a recap.
Note that at this time, RGM has yet to take a position on the North San Rafael PDA as it is a highly complex issue which we are in the process of studying.
We plan to participate actively in all public forums that the City Council conducts in the next few weeks. This information with be shared with the RGM Supporters and the public.
If you were not able to attend the city council meeting of May 18, 2020, we encourage you to visit the City of San Rafael’s website where you can view the video of the meeting.
We will update you as soon as more information is available.