Novato crafts construction rules to guide new projects

Novato officials are preparing a construction management plan to set controls on new housing development.

The City Council voted unanimously at its meeting on Sept. 10 to have the staff draft a proposal. It will be presented to the council on Oct. 8.

Councilmember Rachel Farac proposed the move following the council’s approval of two downtown housing projects that generated stiff opposition from the public.

“What a construction management plan does is really minimizes interruptions in the local community, it ensures regulatory compliance and promotes transparent communication,” she said. “I really want us to be proactive instead of reactive since we know what’s coming.”

Members of the council have said they are hamstrung by state requirements to push through housing projects that meet certain conditions intended to streamline approval. The council recently approved two downtown developments, both from AMG & Associates LLC, and faces a statutory deadline of Oct. 1 to act on a third project.

City Manager Amy Cunningham said staff would take further suggestions on the construction management plan at the council’s meeting on Oct. 8. The policy will not require further council approval, she said.

“I think there is an opportunity to build it out and make it more customer service friendly,” Cunningham said.

Farac suggested the proposal include elements such as requiring workers at the sites to carpool, and time constraints on completing the building. She said the Planning Commission and Design Review Board should also contribute to the development of the plan.

“We can leverage our public works expertise and what’s right for Novato in downtown,” she said. “I would like staff to look at it, look in the future and see what might come up in the future.”

The plan will include requirements for a project overview, including scope, timeline and key milestones. The developer will be required to denote the roles and responsibilities of the project team, including contractors, subcontractors and project managers. A communication plan will include strategies for informing local stakeholders about project progress.

The policy also will include a traffic management plan, measures to mitigate environmental impacts, safety protocols for workers and the public, compliance monitoring with city regulations and details on its alignment with the city’s general plan.

Construction management plans have been implemented in Mill Valley, Davis, San Francisco, Redding, Chico, Palo Alto, Oakland and Berkeley, a staff report said.

Councilmember Pat Eklund said she said she hopes the process will be expedited so the plan can be implemented soon.

“I thought this is a brilliant idea,” Eklund said. “I think it’s going to be critical for the whole community to get behind something so that we can make sure that those huge modular things are not going to be blocking our downtown and putting people out of business.”

The City Council approved a mixed-use proposal for Grant Avenue and Fourth Street on Aug. 23. It involves 209 apartments with 5,335 square feet of ground floor retail space.

The council deferred a decision on a proposal by the same developer, noting that a deeper discussion should be held on the building’s height and massing. The project would include 170 apartments and 8,010 square feet of ground floor retail space at 1107 Grant Ave. The statutory deadline to act on the project is Oct. 1.

AMG also is developing a mixed-use site at Grant Avenue and Third Street that was approved by the council in June. The project includes 56 apartments and 1,735 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Under the state’s housing mandate, Novato is required to permit 2,090 new dwellings during the eight-year planning cycle. The mandate includes 570 residences for very-low-income households and 328 for low-income households.