Northgate theater closes, raising questions about housing plan
The movie theater at Northgate mall in Terra Linda closed over the weekend, punching a hole in a major redevelopment plan that envisions an upgraded cinema as a central attraction.
Since purchasing the 45-acre site in 2017, Merlone Geier Partners has floated a variety of redevelopment ideas, including a bid to bring Costco to the mall. The latest proposal has focused on a “town square” concept where 1,422 residences would be centered around a place people could shop, dine and congregate.
The promise of a theater, which has been a fixture there for more than 50 years, was a key component in the proposal that is weeks away from a public hearing with the City Council.
Ross Guehring, a representative for Merlone Geier, said it was notified last month that Cinemark, the parent company of the Northgate Century Theater, would not be renewing its lease.
The theater closed Sunday, and now it’s unclear what will become of the 45,000-square-foot space.
A Cinemark representative responded to request for comment only to confirm the permanent closure and to say it resulted from a “review” of its venues.
“Although this news came as a surprise, we see it as an exciting opportunity to welcome either an innovative entertainment concept, a new theater operator, or other compelling new retail tenants as part of our revitalization efforts,” Guehring said in an email. “In any scenario, we are confident that the Northgate Town Square redevelopment project will attract strong interest from a variety of exciting potential tenants.”
The mall owners have begun reaching out to potential tenants, and they expect more formal discussions to develop should the project earn City Council approval, Guehring said.
April Talley, the city’s project director, said Cinemark’s departure does not require any change to the environmental impact report or project entitlements that were endorsed by the Planning Commission last month.
However, some critics have questions.
David Smith is a member of Responsible Growth in Marin, a group that has scrutinized the project and raised concerns about public safety in the event of emergency, evacuations, traffic and other worries associated with the scale of the planned development.
Smith said that at the public hearing last month when the Planning Commission endorsed the project, one speaker brought up the theaters’ potential departure. However, it wasn’t addressed by Merlone Geier until an email that was distributed after the closure.
“We think that both Merlone Geier and the city owe it to the public and to each other to be completely transparent about this,” Smith said.
“Whether that space gets filled by another theater or entertainment operator, or whether there are more small shops, should be determined before the San Rafael City Council finalizes the project,” Smith said. “The public deserves to know at least the solid concept of what will be built. How will Northgate be a ‘one-of-a-kind destination’ if it’s just a high-density housing project with a few shops?”
Smith said his group and others have asked for a grocery store to be included and that the outdoor gathering and recreation features be expanded more. He said the theater’s exit could open that possibility.
Members of another group, Sustainable San Rafael, have been supportive of the plan because the proposed new residences would help offset the housing shortage.
“With cinemas, department stores and drive-by fast food restaurants all on shaky ground nationally, I think the city needs to work closely with the developer during the tenanting process to assure a viable mix of retail at Northgate,” said Bill Carney, vice president of the group. “So first, the city needs to approve the project now to get the tenanting underway.”
Carney said it’s important to find a cinema that would complement the outdoor event space at the proposed town square by attracting people.
“That’s an ‘experiential retail’ model that’s worked well at places like the Metreon at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco,” Carney said. “A vibrant mixed-use retail core also complements the surrounding housing and community.”
Carney also advocates for finding restaurant tenants that use electric induction cooking rather than gas to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The mall opened in 1965 as Northgate Fashion Mall, built on land owned by the Freitas family and sold to developers. Anchored at the time by Sears and the Emporium, the open-air mall featured reflecting pools, greenery and a fountain 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’s Plaza and Sea Ranch in Sonoma County. The movie theater opened at the mall a year later.
In 1986, the mall was enclosed and remodeled. In 2005, former owner Macerich Co. considered removing the roof, but elected to redo it instead. The 725,000-square-foot center underwent an extensive renovation beginning in 2008.
The proposed project would redevelop the mall to include six residential parcels with a mix of townhomes, apartments, shops and restaurants. Buildings would range from two to seven stories. Developers plan to spread 143 designated affordable apartments and for-sale homes throughout the site.
“Traditional malls served their time well but they don’t meet the needs of today’s communities or economies,” San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin said. “The Northgate project … represents an exciting new vision for the future. Saying goodbye to the theater is bittersweet, but it opens the doors to possibilities that could benefit San Rafael, and this project specifically, in the long term.”
A City Council hearing is set for Dec. 2 and a second reading is expected Dec. 16. If the project is approved, the company hopes to begin phase one construction in 2025.