San Rafael residents vet Northgate mall housing plan

An emerging plan to redevelop the Northgate mall complex in Terra Linda is garnering mixed reviews, with some San Rafael residents saying it needs to include more housing and others less.

The project came under public scrutiny this week during a joint study session of the Planning Commission and the Design Review Board.

Since the announcement last spring that Northgate could become housing mixed with retail, there have been about two dozen meetings with various stakeholders.

The site is designated as mixed use in the 2040 General Plan. The first phase in 2025 includes the demolition of the former Sears store, the HomeGoods building and approximately 140,932 square feet of the mall. That would be followed by construction for retail and residential uses.

The housing component would include 911 homes in six apartment buildings no more than five stories tall. The project calls for 96 affordable residences along with structure and surface parking.

Another phase would not take place until 2040. It would include the demolition of the Macy’s and Kohl’s stores, the installation of a “town square plaza” and the addition of 409 residences and more retail space.

The study session, held on Tuesday, involved no decisions by city officials. Project planners Tricia Stevens and Christopher Beynon said public feedback is needed before the next step, drafting the project’s environmental impact report.

The development team for Merlone Geier Partners, including staffer Stephen Logan, reminded the group that the original plans for the site with a Costco were disliked by the community. That drove the decision to reconsider its use for housing as well as retail.

“Retail as an enclosed mall is dead,” Logan said.

Logan added that parking for residents is a major issue. The mall has 2,908 parking spaces and the new plan would reduce that number to 2,311, including 1,789 not reserved for apartments.

For more than an hour, community members got the chance to describe their concerns about the project. While some voiced support for creating as many new housing units as possible, others worried about the project’s scope and its water needs.

Jessuina Pérez-Terán of the Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative said the project must move forward to help San Rafael approach goals for housing. The state has mandated that San Rafael approve 3,220 new residences by 2031.

“People can’t find the housing they need, and they can’t afford it, either, if they find it,” she said. “We don’t build enough housing, including affordable housing.”

Ruth Jaeger, a member of the affordable housing team for the Marin Organizing Committee, called the project critical for creating “workforce affordable housing, which is desperately needed for the essential workers in our community.”

“This need is great throughout Marin County, not just in northern Marin,” she said. “The acceptance of in-lieu fees as a substitute for actual affordable housing getting built is counterproductive to fulfilling this great need at this time.”

Some commenters, like Terra Linda resident Claire Halenbeck, said they want the central plaza to be built sooner than 2040.

In an email to submitted to the city, Laura Silverman, a member of Responsible Growth in Marin, wrote, “Why should residents in San Rafael have to travel outside of their own community to participate in the benefits of a ‘town center’ when we have the perfect opportunity to create something in our own backyard?”

Design Review Board member Sharon Kovalsky said, “The heart of the project is the town center square. I really feel like this town center needs to be front and center.”

Others, like David Smith, worried that the proposed building heights are too high. But Jenny Silva said, “We need to be able to grow higher. … The more density for housing, the more open green space we can keep.”

Planning Commissioner Jon Previtali asked how the developer will make sure there is sufficient water for the project.

Leslie Mendez, a city planning official, said the project will be referred to the county’s water and sanitation districts first.

Community Development Director Alicia Giudice added that there is a recycled water “purple pipe” near the site and residents will likely connect to it to reduce the use of potable water. Andy Neff, a representative for Merlone Geier, confirmed that.

“Is there any reason you concentrated affordable housing into the (first) housing area as opposed to dispersing through entire development?” Previtali said.

Logan said, “We can offer a better and more diverse type of affordable housing in there.” He said other housing will take 10 or 12 years, and affordable apartments will be built more quickly.

“We understand where the zoning and General Plan sit, but we feel that is the best way to make this site plan work,” he said.

Susan Coleman of Responsible Growth in Marin asked the developer to disperse affordable units equitably.

“Consider that separate but equal doesn’t really work with affordable housing,” she said. “What’s important is that the experience of living be the same. Numerous studies have noted it’s important for affordable units to be dispersed through other elements of the project, so they get the same experience of life as everyone at market-rate housing as well.”

Bill Carney of Sustainable San Rafael called for building as many affordable residences as possible.

“Right out of the box, this could really be a signature development that could be good for the developers and certainly good for the community,” he said.