San Rafael gets revised housing proposal for Northgate

A plan to redevelop Northgate mall in San Rafael has undergone another edit.

Merlone Geier Partners, a real estate investment firm in San Francisco, is seeking to build a mix of homes, shops and restaurants on the 45-acre site in Terra Linda.

In its revision submitted last month, the developer proposes, among other changes, a new approach to dispersing affordable homes throughout the complex. The revisions are in response to community comments over the past three years, the developer said.

The revision amends the developer’s original proposal, but still seeks 1,422 homes overall. Separately, there is a pending expanded plan that the developer submitted under Senate Bill 330. That plan proposes 1,865 homes. SB 330 entitles the developer to an expedited approval process. Both plans are under city review.

“While the SB 330 alternative remains active, our preference is to proceed with the original application with the latest modifications, considering the significant time and effort invested over the past three years,” Ross Guehring, spokesperson for the developer, said in an email. “The alternative plan only remains as the fallback option to ensure there’s a viable path to reinvigorate Northgate.”

Merlone Geier Partners bought the mall in 2017. In both applications, the company is proposing to begin phase one construction in 2025, followed by phase two in 2040. Both proposals call for six residential parcels offering a mix of apartments and townhomes. What happens in each phase depends on which project alternative moves forward.

The latest update includes several significant changes.

A previously planned standalone affordable housing complex with 96 apartments would be eliminated. Instead, 143 affordable dwellings would be dispersed throughout the development. This meets the city’s inclusionary requirement that 10% of homes developed are designated as affordable, the developer said.

The update would add 38 for-sale townhomes that will be constructed on “parcel one” in place of the previously planned 96-affordable-apartment complex. The site is up against Northgate Drive south of where the mall’s parking structure is situated.

Another 100 townhomes are planned on parcel two, east of parcel one. In total, there would be 138 for-sale townhomes. Of these, 14 would be affordable up to 60% of the area median income.

In total, phase one would build 864 homes, down from the 922 planned.

In order to maintain the desired number of total homes over the two phases, the developer also wants to increase the number of apartments from 251 to 309 at its complex on parcel five.

That structure is proposed as part of phase two construction and would be situated at the entrance from Merrydale Road at Las Gallinas Avenue. To accommodate the addition, the structure would need to be six stories instead of five stories.

Also, the centerpiece town square feature, which is part of phase one construction, would be expanded nearly 20%, from 48,075 square feet to 56,975 square feet. The area will include natural turf, rather than the originally planned artificial turf. The dog park has been relocated away from the town square area.

“This will create a larger outdoor gathering area that now includes a new children’s playground, a performance stage, a large screen for public viewing events, and flexible areas that can be converted into a pedestrian-only zone during community events,” Guehring said.

The update also proposes some architectural design changes and removes a development agreement from the entitlement package.

Grace Geraghty, executive director of the nonprofit group Responsible Growth in Marin, said it supports the expansion of the town square space, but remains concerned that plans will still involve drive-through restaurants.

Geraghty, a San Rafael resident, said the elimination of the development agreement is disturbing and her group is encouraging the city to push back on the issue.

“A DA is a negotiation between the city and the developer that typically identifies the development standards and conditions that will apply for the life of the project and also allows the city to determine whether the developer is meeting its goals and keeping its promises,” Geraghty said. “While DAs are not mandatory, typically both sides welcome the benefits they provide — such as certainty for the developer and benefits for the community.”

She said other major projects, such as the housing development at Loch Lomond and the BioMarin campus in downtown San Rafael, had these agreements.

In response, the developer, in an email, said, “A potential development agreement became unnecessary when we elected to disperse the affordable units throughout the project in accordance with the city’s inclusionary ordinance.”

Mayor Kate Colin said the city is reviewing the application and staff expects to give an update to the Planning Commission in the coming months.

“There are many positive aspects of the project, including affordable units for rental as well as ownership,” Colin said. “In addition, the developer responded to community feedback and has increased the size of the town square. The existing large anchor tenants as well as the cinema will continue to provide an economic draw for the entire city.”

“I look forward to this project moving forward and really appreciate the ongoing engagement of our residents to have it be a great addition to our city,” she said.

More details on both project alternatives are available online at bit.ly/3Lcism1.