On November 14, 2019, Forever 21announced that the Northgate Mall location would be closing along with 21 other locations in California and 90 locations nationwide. Big box retail is out and big housing is in at Northgate Mall in San Rafael. We see some things we dont like so much and were looking forward to continuing to work with them., Smith said he likes that Merlone Geier incorporated housing into the plan, but the number of proposed residences seems like a lot.. If a formal application is submitted to the City, this web page will be updated and we will use the interested parties list (in the stay informed section below) to pass on any updates if we receive a formal application. The new plan represents a major shift from the companys 2019 proposal to build a Costco store and a gas station at the site of the former Sears building, which drew widespread scrutiny from Terra Linda residents. The job cuts occurred on Feb. 17. Parking would be reduced from 2,908 to 2,311 spaces. Were certainly much happier with the larger town square and the a mixture of ownership townhomes in phase one.. He is the author of two books: "Here Tomorrow" (Heyday, 2013) and "High Spirits" (Heyday, 2015). She also hoped that a grocery store would be included, and that there would be more integration of affordable residences throughout the complex. Location. The project site is located west of US Highway 101 (US 101), in the City of San Rafael, Marin County. Youre walking, not driving, out of your residence to shop or catch a movie or grab a cup of coffee or dinner with friends.. Plan Set Submitted July 26, 2019 for Conceptual Design Review/Pre-Application. To keep the residence count at the desired level, 224 apartments would be added to the two complexes planned along Las Gallinas Avenue. Improve the visual connection to the mail by incorporating some of the existing material palette i.e., (more stone, less concrete). Evernote, a software company that has developed a note-taking app, will eliminate 65 positions in Redwood City. The San Rafael City Council recently voted to lower the citys affordable housing requirement from 20% to 10% to spur construction during the pandemic. Ninety jobs are affected. The proposed project would be developed in two phases, and at full buildout is currently proposed to include a total of approximately 225,100 square feet of commercial uses and up to 1,443 residential units, of which 10 percent would be restricted to a minimum of low-income households. What: Costco San Rafael - Community Open Houses When: Open House #1 - Wednesday, Sept. 25; 4:00 to 7:00pm Open House #2 - Thursday, Sept. 26; 5:00 to 8:00pm Where: Northgate Mall - Eastern Common Area (Entrance Next to H&M) 5800. So, there is no further action on the part of the city, unless we receive a formal application. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. The project came under public scrutiny this week during a joint study session of the Planning Commission and the Design Review Board. Natalie Hanson reports on breaking news, police and fire and criminal justice. Early last month, Bloomberg reported that Bay Area-based Impossible Foods planned to lay off 20% of its staff. Close window. Conceptual Design Review is meant to provide an informal critique and evaluation of a projects basic design approach. The Design Review Board meeting on the Conceptual application is scheduled for October 22, 2019. (Provided by Merlone Geier Partners), Northgate shopping mall in San Rafael on Thursday, March 17, 2022. Get hot deals, the inside scoop and special promotions all available through our exclusive profiles. 0. For more information, please visit OPRs Accessibility Site. Another phase would not take place until 2040. General Mall Hours ~ What Time does the Mall Open/Close Today? Were very glad to see that all residential units will be 100% electrical, said Bill Carney, chairman of Sustainable San Rafael. Enough to shut down every resort, Why every Californian needs an air quality monitor, In search of vegan food, I found a world-class Mendocino inn, 6 Cabo hotels for your spring break vacation, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Register to attend at FutureNorthgateMall.com. Get hot deals, the inside scoop and special promotions all available through our exclusive profiles. The appropriateness of a gas station and evaluation of any potential impacts will be considered through the public review process. The layoffs were expected to be permanent, although the company said its possible that some affected workers could be recalled to their jobs in order of seniority, depending on the demand for work at the port. Please see the City Public Meetings Page for meeting minutes and staff reports. The BJ's location at Northgate Mall in San Rafael is set to permanently close. But they long-term leaseholds and no intention of their going away. San Rafael Community Development Director Paul Jensen said the city has been pushing hard to increase housing production, including a downtown rezoning that allows for about 2,000 new units. Time on Market. Merlone Geier plans to hold virtual community forums about the redevelopment master plan on March 30 and April 20. ion. View Dining Options Merlone Geier is set to host two online meetings to discuss the proposal this spring. reports on traffic, air quality, etc) required for formal submittal are not submitted during conceptual review. Disclaimer: The Governors Office of Planning and Research (OPR) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. (Provided by City of San Rafael), Artist's rendering for proposed development at Northgate Mall shows a market and residential units. No upcoming events. That is one of the key elements that we are committing to as part of these changes to the plan.. A developer has revised its proposal to overhaul the Northgate mall property in San Rafael, adding townhomes for sale and other features. You may also contact the OPR via email at state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov or via phone at (916) 445-0613. Project Contact Tricia Stevens, Project Planner at (916) 698-4592 or. 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It involves demolishing 645,312 square feet of commercial space, including the buildings that house Macys and Kohls if those businesses decide to end their leases at the mall. Portions of the mall roof would be removed to return to the outdoor shopping experience before the center was closed in during the mid-1980s. Regular Bank Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific Time . The applicant has indicated they are taking a pause to analyze the City, outside agency and public feedback received during the preliminary process and decide whether to proceed with the project, and if so, how to proceed. 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Dineen covers housing and real estate development. This Study Session is an opportunity for early Planning Commission and Design Review Board project feedback on land use and design and allows early opportunity for public input. Making the height Exception findings will be difficult. Retail as an enclosed mall is dead, Logan said. The traffic study will also look at traffic safety in relation to pedestrians and bicycles. The company is proposing two project phases: the construction of 907 residences starting in 2025, followed by 413 homes beginning in 2040. The site is designated as mixed use in the 2040 General Plan. Cookie Notice Situated 20 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Northgate Mall today features an anchor lineup, a Century Theatres, a variety of specialty stores, services and restaurants. The housing component offers that 24-hour-a-day presence and activity that energizes a place that has lost its mojo, if you will, Geiser said. We are thrilled that Merlone Geier Partners listened to the community and our little groups grassroots efforts, she said. The proposed project would result in the redevelopment of the existing mall through demolition, renovation, and new construction with a mix of commercial and residential land uses. Exclusive: Stunning photos show Yosemite National Park under 15 feet of Warriors treating Andrew Wiggins with understandable patience, but his Map shows stunning improvement in California drought, Map shows which parts of California exceeded entire years worth of rain. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. . For major projects, the City requires the submittal of a Conceptual Design Review as a first step to allow the public and the Citys Design Review Board an opportunity to provide early comments on a preliminary plan/concept. The owner of the Northgate Mall in north San Rafael has unveiled plans for where it wants to take the regional shopping center in the next three decades, and that includes hundreds of apartments and a return to the open-air shopping experience there over three decades ago. He also writes the weekly business column Movers & Shakers, which appears in Friday's paper. It is meant to allow an applicant to hear both public and City comments on a project before fully developing required plans and materials. Northgate Mallis a shopping mall located in the Terra Lindaneighborhood of San Rafael, California, 15 miles (24 km) north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Merlone Geier Partners, a real estate investment firm based in San Francisco, is seeking to build 1,320 new residences on the 45-acre site in Terra Linda. The development of the new Northgate Mall is a long-range . (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal), The former Sears store at Northgate Mall is seen in San Rafael on Thursday, March 11, 2021. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. In addition, the City will review the project for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and determine if the project is exempt from CEQA or prepare an Initial Study and Negative Declaration, mitigated Declaration or Environmental Impact Report (EIR). They would replace the originally planned 309 apartments that would have been on the southern parcel. Bay Area job cuts: Planned closure of BJs in, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Bay Area job cuts: Planned closure of BJs in San Rafael adds to growing numbers, Impossible Foods, Rivian Auto add to rising Bay Area layoffs, Editorial: California must lead in crafting AI protections, Google excludes thousands of workers from benefits: report, Tech, life science job cuts: hundreds more layoffs jolt Bay Area, Marin DA's office hit with racial discrimination claims, Drought is now over in more than half of California, including the Bay Area, feds say, Former San Quentin guard sentenced for cellphone smuggling, Novato City Council approves theater sale agreement, San Rafael workplace murder suspect convicted, Santa Rosa high school student stabbed to death in classroom, California extends Bay Area tax deadlines to match IRS, Novato police arrest burglary suspect after scuffle, San Rafael still lagging on prior housing quota, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. This Study Session is an opportunity for early Planning Commission and Design Review Board project feedback on land use and design and allows early opportunity for public input. To view all public comments received through January 6, 2020, please click here. We appreciate the work that theyve done for this new proposal, Smith said. Merlone Geier Partners, a San Francisco-based real estate investment firm that bought the mall in 2017, submitted the plan to San Rafael officials this week. Whether affected staffers retain their positions at neighboring BJs restaurants is uncertain. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal). The neighbors would prefer a more open space, a mix of rental housing and condos rather than all rental and probably a bit less density than the developer is proposing, especially close to the single-family homes. For more than an hour, community members got the chance to describe their concerns about the project. The mall would be converted to an open-air shopping center, while some of the existing retail space, including the former Sears building, would be knocked down to make way for apartments. The proposal includes 1,402 public parking spaces and 2,233 residential parking spaces, including garages for townhomes. Since the announcement last spring that Northgate could become housing mixed with retail, there have been about two dozen meetings with various stakeholders. We see a lot that we like. Phone (415)479-1302. The company warned that the job cuts could occur throughout 2023, depending on demand for warehouse and shipping work at the Port of Oakland. San Rafael's Northgate Mall makeover vision includes nearly 1,400 apartments, smaller tenant spaces. Tenants. The layoffs are slated to occur on April 3. The current zoning for the mall property (General Commercial), allows gas stations in the zone, subject to a Conditional Use Permit. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal), The former Sears store at Northgate Mall and surrounding area is seen in San Rafael on Thursday, March 11, 2021. Temporary move: 6000 Northgate Dr, San Rafael, CA 94903. Phase 2 (also referred to as the 2040 Vision Plan) would generally include the demolition of the Macys and Kohls buildings and the construction of 430 residential units. Similar projects are under way at malls in Newark and Richmond, although the pandemic has slowed some of these plans. The Mall at Northgate San Rafael, California . Northgate Mall is a shopping mall located in the Terra Linda neighborhood of San Rafael, California, 15 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Costco and Northgate Mall hosting a community open house on September 25 and September 26, About the Costco Pre Application and Conceptual Design Review, About the Community Development Review Process (Costco Project), Costco Wholesale Corporation, Michael Okuma, No PC support for gas component of the project (unanimous), Really need a master plan to understand what is planned for rest of mall, how this project would impact that and what that would do to housing potential, Confirmed the main Costco retail use and tire center are consistent with the current Master Use Permit, but not as designed (lack of integration with mall, circulation issues, height/bulk/mass), Need for data to support the benefits to the community and support claims that Costco will bring shoppers to mall, Concern with the increased height (Exception findings) more than current Sear footprint which results in bulk and mass coming so close to Northgate Dr, Need for better integration of the Costco with rest of Mall, Concern with on-site circulation access as noted by staff. The job cuts took place on Feb. 17. Geraghty said that the mall was a regional attraction when it opened in the 1960s, at a time when malls were a novelty and a destination. FILE: The BJ's Restaurant location at Northgate Mall in San Rafael is expected to close in April. The Citys Design Review Board and Planning Commission will hold public hearings on any formal applications filed. The new proposal, on the other hand, includes many elements residents want: housing, community gathering spaces and an improved theater. The store, which has been in operation for over 20 years, is said to be shutting its doors for good in the next few weeks. The current plan calls for San Rafael to produce 3,200 housing units during the next eight-year cycle, more than three times the 1,000 units the city was required to build in the previous cycle. There are some significant changes to the project based on feedback that the applicant team received from the community, meaning the public, and decision-makers, the boards and commissions and staff, Mendez said. in journalism from USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and earned a B.A. In San Francisco, the owner of the Stonestown Galleria is planning on building several thousand housing units on surface parking lots. According to its website it's one of the. The final EIR and project will require approval of the Planning Commission and City Council. The second phase calls for building two five-story apartment buildings with a combined 460 residences. The second phase also calls for building two five-story apartment buildings with a combined 460 residences. In North Hollywood, the Noho West center has residential next to office and retail spaces. The purpose is for the City through a public process to provide preliminary feedback on the proposed design direction. San Rafael officials are reviewing Merlone Geiers application for completeness, according to Community Development Director Paul Jensen. The plan also includes a fenced dog park, a childrens nature playground and other amenities. Specialties: With its scenic splendor, unique cultural attractions and events, and close proximity to San Francisco, Marin County is both a "must-see" West Coast destination and a renowned bedroom community for the Bay Area's most affluent residents. SFGATE reached out to BJs for comments but did not hear back by publication. over 4 . It was managed by The Macerich Company until 2017 and is now managed by Merlone Geier Partners. The Citys current General Plan identifies LOS standards for both AM (weekdays 7-9am) and PM peak hours (weekdays 4-6pm). Andy Neff, a representative for Merlone Geier, confirmed that. It closed in January 2020. It looked at the benefits of holding on to Costco versus seeking a more residential-focused project with a gathering place for the neighborhood a specialty grocer or food hall and a new expanded movie theater. Vegetation on the site consists of ornamental landscaping, including landscaped strips along the boundaries of the site that contain street trees and shrubs, planters with trees within the surface parking lot, and some mature trees located adjacent to the existing buildings. Right out of the box, this could really be a signature development that could be good for the developers and certainly good for the community, he said. ATTENTION: Online services for the Business License Division and Transient Occupancy (Hotel) Tax will be unavailable starting 02/24/2023 at 3:30pm. Phase 1 would also include the construction of a town square near the center of the project site.