San Anselmo restaurant proposal clears approval hurdle
A restaurant chain with six sites in the Bay Area plans a seventh in San Anselmo.
The Planning Commission unanimously voted on Dec. 3 to approve a conditional use permit application and design review for a Cafe Réveille at 60 Greenfield Ave. The approval includes conditions related to exterior painting and bicycle parking.
The proprietors plan to adapt the 10,486-square-foot building into an expanded indoor-outdoor dining space. The building was constructed in 1968 and used to be occupied by a Taco Bell.
“The site has been used for various restaurants, sandwich shops and café uses since then,” said Jackson Dobronyi, a town planner. One recent occupant was the Java Hub Cafe.
Owner Thomas Newbury, who plans to operate the business with his brother, said there are five Cafe Réveille locations in San Francisco and one in Berkeley. Newbury said he and his brother attended Marin Catholic High School.
“We’ve been looking in Marin for quite some time,” he said. “Doing something in Marin is always something we’ve wanted to do for a very, very long time.”
The restaurant will have about 18 to 22 employees, Newbury said.
The project will involve the construction of a new outdoor dining area of about 2,000 square feet. It will include a canopy attached to the east side of the structure, partially covering the outdoor dining area.
“I like the concept of quick and casual,” said commissioner Zachary Koblick de Leon.
The project will involve the partial demolition of the parking lot and the removal of four spaces. The remaining parking lot will be partially restriped for eleven spots, including two spaces for visitors with disabilities.
The project also will include the removal of a heritage elm tree, which will be replaced with an olive tree. The plan also calls for new planter boxes along Greenfield Avenue.
Planning commissioners said it was important to include bicycle parking in the design.
“I do think there are a lot of e-bike families that commute around on e-bikes, which are massive,” said commissioner Peter Thomas Strauss.
The commission asked for the town to have a voice in the eventual exterior of the building. The original proposal included off-white tones, with wooden windows and doors and steel or copper roofing.
“I’m very happy to see something being done with this site,” said commissioner Tim Heiman. “I’m a little on the fence about some of the nebulous design things. … I’d like to see that nailed down a little more, frankly.”