Editorial: Housing laws bring jarring changes to downtown San Rafael

Sacramento’s pro-housing mandate will change the landscape of downtown San Rafael.

It’s not the vision that a lengthy community-oriented planning process came up for their downtown. That was a plan that included housing, commerce and jobs, preservation of downtown’s historic character and an “Alive after 5” goal.

But Sacramento lawmakers’ erosion of local land-use controls has upended that vision, paving the way for high-rise housing plans that will dwarf the Courthouse Square building, long the tallest building in downtown.

The San Rafael Planning Commission recently approved plans for a 13-story building at 1230 Fifth Ave. and an eight-story building at 900 A St. The two buildings will provide 319 apartments.

In the wings is a proposal by BioMarin Pharmaceuticals for a 17-story, 200-apartment complex at 700 Irwin St.

Courthouse Square, built in the 1970s, is eight stories.

When it was built, replacing the old county courthouse, it drew grumbles about its size.

The question these much taller entries raise is that they will change the historic character of downtown, creating a juxtaposition of spiking-tall buildings next door or close by buildings that are two, three or four stories tall or even one-story single family homes.

There are strong supporters for this change, among them the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, which says these downtown buildings will strengthen local businesses, bringing more foot traffic, shoppers and diners to downtown.

Those are the goals of the city’s “Vision” plan for downtown, but that view didn’t include high-rise buildings – at least high-rise for San Rafael.

While echoing the same goals, Sacramento lawmakers with the laudable goal of addressing the state’s housing crisis, have rewritten local land-use restrictions, paving the way for developers to build larger and taller than ever contemplated under locally authored planning guidelines.

For instance, Senate Bill 330 – the “Housing Crisis Act of 2019” – streamlines the local planning process, restricting the number of public hearings and prohibiting city officials from using subjective standards to deny a project. Not only are local decision-makers limited in controlling proposed housing development, but the often lengthy public process involved in reviewing and debating housing proposals has been streamlined.

There’s been little effective political pushback in Sacramento – even from our own elected state representatives – to bring more sensible and sensitive planning to the state’s pro-development mandates so that new housing construction is complementary to historic small-town surroundings.

Other towns and cities that have taken legal action to contest the state’s housing mandates have been unsuccessful.

San Rafael also faces a state mandate to approve plans to build 3,220 new housing units by 2031. The city – where much of Marin’s recent housing construction has been taking place – hasn’t seen that much housing built in decades. The ambitious mandate – said to be San Rafael’s share in meeting the Bay Area’s projected housing needs – represents roughly 13% growth in local housing over the next five years.

A sound argument can be made that downtown is the right place for such buildings, but that doesn’t change the fact that they promise to be jarring additions to the landscape, standing over existing downtown buildings, including many that have been added in recent years.

The state lawmakers who passed these significant changes in local land-use controls – essentially eroding those that strive to protect small-town environment and history – need to take stock of how they are being translated in reality, not just meeting quotas. They certainly are a boon for developers, but the concerns of those who have to live next door or nearby such out-of-character buildings are being given short shrift.