San Rafael commission signs off on Northgate mall project

The San Rafael Planning Commission has voted to recommend the City Council approve plans to redevelop Northgate mall.

The commission majority also voted Tuesday to approve the environmental impact report, moving the 1,422-residence project a step closer to launch.

The commission’s recommendations will go to the City Council for final approval at a meeting in November.

The 1,480-page EIR, which was released last week, found that any greenhouse gas emissions and noise from the project would be significant and unavoidable.

Residents packed the council chambers at City Hall to express concerns about the project or support for it. Supporters cited the affordable housing and workforce housing it would provide, but others worried about the effects on traffic and emergency services.

“I think all of us are sympathetic to the concerns of those in those neighborhoods,” said Jon Haveman, the chair of the commission. “This development certainly feels like it’s going to hurt a lot of people. As an economist that has worked on projects like these, the consequences of them seldom turn out to be as bad as they appear. I think this is a good project. I think it is startling to the neighborhood but I don’t think it will take very long before it’s been accepted.”

Commissioner Jon Previtali voted no because of the traffic concerns. He said the city should take the time to get more location-specific data on traffic. He cited community comments on increased traffic in the area and the potential effects on safety and emergency services.

“I love this project, I want this project to happen,” Previtali said. “The traffic, that is a huge problem. I feel like it’s a safety issue that we need to deal with.”

Commissioner Stewart Summers was absent from the meeting.

Merlone Geier Partners, a real estate investment firm in San Francisco, bought the property in 2017 and filed a project application in 2021. The project has undergone several edits that increased the number of residences at the 45-acre site. The plan also calls for shops and restaurants.

According to David Parisi, a Parametrix consultant working for the city, the project would result in fewer vehicle trips than a fully occupied mall would during peak afternoon hours.

“The reason for this is because residential uses generate fewer trips than commercial uses,” Parisi said.

The final report reflects this finding, but some residents questioned the calculations, which used national averages from the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Terra Linda resident Kirk Warnock said he is against the project because the six-story buildings do not fit the suburban area. He also said the added traffic in the area would be horrible.

“It’s too much,” Warnock said. “Right now, if you go out and try to go anywhere on Manuel Freitas parkway, anywhere between 7:15 and 8:30, it’s just a logjam. I mean if there’s going to be more housing, it’s got to be single-story or two-story. But making this a city when it’s a suburban area is just not fair to these people who have invested their savings in their homes and everything and making it an urban area.”

Commissioner Samina Saude said the environmental impact report “meets the letter of the law,” and that traffic is a regional issue, exacerbated by a commuter workforce. She pointed out that 85% of the county is open space, and that the mall is in decline.

“In order to protect that open space, we need to add density,” Saude said. “The mall is going into blight, and I think we need to ask what will happen if we don’t approve this project.”

Matthew Hartzell, a transportation planner, said he is excited about the project and feels it is needed. He agreed with the findings of the environment report regarding traffic because the project is designed with walking, biking and multiuse paths and is near a SMART train.

“Marin County and San Rafael need more housing for young families like mine, need housing for the people who work and serve the communities in San Rafael,” Hartzell said. “That’s who I think this project is for.”

Grace Geraghty, representing the grassroots organization Responsible Growth in Marin, requested that some of the project fees go toward improving recreation sites in northern San Rafael because upgrades are desperately needed. She said the nonprofit appreciates the changes the developer has made thus far, especially regarding affordable housing and for-sale townhomes.

“We are in favor of workforce housing and would have preferred that Merlone Geier provided more than the minimum 10% affordable housing,” Geraghty said.

Daryoush Davidi, a business owner who is San Rafael Chamber of Commerce board member, said the project will add life to the area. He said the mall is in decline and the area lacks employee housing.

“My own employees have to commute from places like Vallejo or other surrounding communities for an hour and a half just to come to Marin to work, and after a while attrition hits,” Davidi said. “These people don’t want to come to work no matter how much you pay them because they don’t want to drive, and as a result many businesses are suffering and closing here in San Rafael.”

The commission also voted to recommend that the council approve zoning changes, including creating a Northgate Town Square Planned Development District; and the project’s environmental design and review conditions of approval, which include the tentative subdivision map and master use permit. Previtali also voted against these items.

If approved, the company hopes to begin phase one construction in 2025, and a second phase in 2040.