As comments are received they will be periodically added to thePublic Commentspage. Reach the author at arodriguez@marinij.com or follow Adrian on Twitter: @adrianrrodri. An emerging plan to redevelop the Northgate mall complex in Terra Linda is garnering mixed reviews, with some San Rafael residents saying it needs to include more housing and others less. 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). For more information, please visit OPRs Accessibility Site. Merlone Geier announced Thursday that it has submitted to the city a master plan application for the first phase of the transformation of the 710,000-square-foot center, anticipated to get underway in 2025, after 18-24 months of city hearings and community meetings. Get Directions. [4] Renovation[edit] Macerich began renovating the mall in 2008. In addition, technical studies (i.e. How will the City consider traffic impacts in nearby neighborhoods? The Board will identify relevant issues and significant concerns, and provide comments on the appropriateness of the conceptual design and its compliance with design review criteria and guidelines. See next photo for a look at this spot in 2012. We are just not sure the infrastructure traffic, sewer, schools can handle that much density.. 0. Get hot deals, the inside scoop and special promotions all available through our exclusive profiles. Parking would be reduced from 2,908 to 2,311 spaces. The development of the new Northgate Mall is a long-range . 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. 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.. Elsewhere in the Bay Area, a handful of tech companies planned to eliminate a combined 163 jobs affecting workers in Santa Clara, Redwood City, San Francisco and Hayward. The City'sPlanning Commission (PC) reviewed the preliminary application onTuesday, October 15, 2019andprovided the following comments: The DRB reviewed the conceptual design onTuesday, October 22, 2019. Address and locations: 5800 Northgate Mall, San Rafael, California - CA 94903. 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. He has since expanded his focus to explore housing and development issues throughout Northern California. The approximately 44.76-acre project site consists of the Northgate Mall, which is located within the San Rafael Town Center in the northern portion of the city. (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. Retail. No binding decisions are made as a result, Given the public interest in this project, the City has also suggested that the Planning Commission review the Conceptual Design Review application in order to weigh in on land use matters, (ie. In an email to submitted to the city, Laura Silverman, a member of Responsible Growth in Marin, wrote, Why should residents in San Rafael have to travel outside of their own community to participate in the benefits of a town center when we have the perfect opportunity to create something in our own backyard?, Design Review Board member Sharon Kovalsky said, The heart of the project is the town center square. Costco has applied for a Pre Application and Conceptual Design Review for their proposal to demolish the existing multi story Sears building along with the two out buildings (former Sears catalog building and automotive center building) at the southern portion of Northgate Mall. Two years after the owner of Marin Countys only enclosed shopping mall announced plans to build the largest Costco in the United States a 180,000-square-foot store with 30 gas pumps that would have been dwarfed only by the chains outlets in Mexico and Japan the developer has decided to scrap the warehouse retailer in favor of a residential development with a new town center. Hours Sun: 12P - 6P. Northgate Mall 124 reviews Claimed $$ Shopping Centers Closed 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM Hours updated 2 months ago See hours See all 162 photos Write a review Add photo Save Location & Hours Suggest an edit 5800 Northgate Mall San Rafael, CA 94903 Get directions You Might Also Consider Sponsored Jewelry Art Center 51 17.8 miles away from Northgate Mall A developer seeks to build 1,345 units of housing at Northgate Mall in San Rafael. Northgate address: 5800 Northgate Mall, San Rafael, California - CA 94903. For more information Click HERE. The company is proposing two project phases: the construction of 907 residences starting in 2025, followed by 413 homes beginning in 2040. At this time, the mall ownership is focused on stabilizing the commercial viability of the mall to ensure its long term economic viability and the Costco application is the first step. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. SFGATE also reached out to Northgate Mall to learn what business could take over BJs forthcoming vacant space but did not hear back. For more information Click. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen. Northgate will offer all-new shopping offerings from boutique to national brands with a transition to an all-outdoor shopping, dining, entertainment and lifestyle destination, with walking paths and gathering spaces connecting all areas. She received an M.A. The traffic study will also look at traffic safety in relation to pedestrians and bicycles. Privacy Policy. Phase one would consist of 896 units in four three- and four-story apartment buildings on the southern and eastern edge of the property. The project site is located west of US Highway 101 (US 101), in the City of San Rafael, Marin County. It's the largest of three shopping centers in San Rafael called Northgate. Information. The purpose is for the City through a public process to provide preliminary feedback on the proposed design direction. Live verbal commenting will be available during the session. But mixed-use and open-air reworkings of malls have been undertaken elsewhere in the Merlone Geier portfolio, which includes 112 assets on the West Coast, mainly focused on centers anchored by grocery, drug and home-improvement store tenants. The popular clothing store Forever 21 is reportedly closing its location in Northgate Mall in San Rafael, California. The housing component would include 911 homes in six apartment buildings no more than five stories tall. Enough to shut down every resort. Close window. San Rafael's Northgate Mall makeover vision includes nearly 1,400 apartments, smaller tenant spaces. Close. 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. Get hot deals, the inside scoop and special promotions all available through our exclusive profiles. Before the Business Journal, he wrote for Bay City News Service in San Francisco. his meeting will be held in Spanish with English translation. If you have questions or comments about this project, please submit them in advanceto Project Planner,Tricia Stevens. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. (Provided by City of San Rafael), A woman carries a pizza from the food court at the Northgate Mall in San Rafael on Friday, March 12, 2021. Register to attend at FutureNorthgateMall.com. Local, regional and national restaurants will then be added. That plan has faced active resistance from the community, including a petition drive with hundreds of signatures in opposition. After a dramatic redesign introduced in November 2009, the center utilizes new features that blur the boundaries between the indoors and the outdoors, including a courtyard gathering place called the Oak Plaza, open-air dining areas and an indoor-outdoor food court near the . The requirement for Conceptual Review was initiated in 2005 as a means to allow both the public and the City early input on a project, before plans are fully developed. Map Unavailable Upcoming Events; No events in this location; Helpful; Share. 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. Merlone Geier Partners, a real estate investment. I was really heartened to see that Merlone Geier did listen to the community at large, Geraghty said. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal), The former Sears store at Northgate Mall is seen in San Rafael on Thursday, March 11, 2021. Early close at 2:00 PM Pacific Time Christmas Monday December 25 Friday before New Year's Day Friday December 29 . It was managed by The Macerich Companyuntil 2017 and is now managed by Merlone Geier Partners. The mall would shrink from about 750,000 square feet of retail to about 250,000, while 1.5 million square feet of housing would be added. 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. San Rafael (Northgate) 5800 Northgate Mall, Suite 51 San Rafael CA 94903 (415) 472-2265. Sign up today. The proposal also calls for 2-3 levels of rooftop parking on top of the proposed Costco warehouse. Planning Commissioner Jon Previtali asked how the developer will make sure there is sufficient water for the project. Visit Us. The project calls for 96 affordable residences along with structure and surface parking. We think housing in these kind of (malls) help bring a synergy that the mall by itself doesnt bring anymore, Logan said. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. They would replace the originally planned 309 apartments that would have been on the southern parcel. Posted on September 16, 2019. 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. Why are other locations not being considered (near Target or the former Orchard Supply Hardware)? Numerous studies have noted its important for affordable units to be dispersed through other elements of the project, so they get the same experience of life as everyone at market-rate housing as well.. Why not consider housing in this location instead? But Jenny Silva said, We need to be able to grow higher. 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. The affected workers are represented by the Oakland office of Teamsters Local 70, the WARN notice stated. The Thursday Marin Farmers Market is known as the local chef's market welcoming premier chefs from around the Bay Area seeking out the freshest ingredients of the season. Hanson previously covered city government politics, homelessness and housing and environmental issues at the Chico Enterprise-Record. Were very glad to see that all residential units will be 100% electrical, said Bill Carney, chairman of Sustainable San Rafael. We look forward to you joining us on Tuesday, September 14th at 7 p.m.! BJ's Restaurant is cutting 90 jobs due to its decision to permanently close its restaurant in San Rafael's Northgate Mall on April 12. Need project to better respect the design and character ofsurroundingarea. Evernote, a software company that has developed a note-taking app, will eliminate 65 positions in Redwood City. You may also contact the OPR via email at state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov or via phone at (916) 445-0613. Temporary move: 6000 Northgate Dr, San Rafael, CA 94903. ATTENTION: Online services for the Business License Division and Transient Occupancy (Hotel) Tax will be unavailable starting 02/24/2023 at 3:30pm. See Store Hours. RT @HowardWPenney: Restaurants with mall exposure are underperformers.. BJ's Restaurant in San Rafael's Northgate Mall to close, lay off 90 workers $CAKE $BJRI $RRGB . The revised plan is a victory for Responsible Growth in Marin, an organization with 900 members that was created to fight the Costco. Community Development Director Alicia Giudice added that there is a recycled water purple pipe near the site and residents will likely connect to it to reduce the use of potable water. On Tuesday, September 14th at 7 p.m. there will be aJoint Planning Commission and Design Review Board Study Session on the Citys YouTube Channel. Specific details behind BJs decision to shutter its Northgate Mall restaurant are unclear. San Rafael officials are reviewing Merlone Geiers application for completeness, according to Community Development Director Paul Jensen. The project includes two construction phases. Northgate gives you what you want, the way you want it. New multiuse paths would wind through the complex, and the developers have committed to supporting offsite bicycle and pedestrian improvements linking to the SMART Civic Center station. Logan declined to say how much the mall transformation would cost. 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. Northgate San Rafael CA Hours: 2022 Holiday hours (Saturday, Sunday, Easter, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and today's opening /closing times. Specials Shop Gift Cards Salon Locations Services FAQs News Home Login Account. Housing is key to spurring a resurgence of retail activity, because living spaces are used daily, and having markets and fast-casual dining next door will generate more trips to the retail areas, Logan said. We didnt want to go through a plan and then have to redo it.. Project Contact Tricia Stevens, Project Planner at (916) 698-4592 or. J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. There are already multiple gas stations near Northgate, can we stop Costco from opening a gas station at this location? While the details may change with community and city input, the propertys future has been guided by lessons from the challenges for malls in recent years and the constraints of the pandemic in the past 12 months. A Costco Wholesale store has been proposed to replace the shuttered Sears location. Rating: 2.7/5 (7 rates) Make a Review: Phone number: (415) 479-5956: State: California: Area/City: Home; Contact Us; Leasing; Northgate home page To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. 0. At San Antonio Center in Mountain View, there is residential above grocery-anchored retail space plus offices, movie theaters and outdoor areas such as a dog park. Cookie Notice It would include the demolition of the Macys and Kohls stores, the installation of a town square plaza and the addition of 409 residences and more retail space. Since the announcement last spring that Northgate could become housing mixed with retail, there have been about two dozen meetings with various stakeholders. Grace Geraghty, co-founder and longtime North San Rafael resident, said Costco had been very unpopular because of fear that it would clog the streets with cars and hurt air quality in the area. (Provided by Merlone Geier Partners), The Northgate shopping mall in San Rafael, Calif. on Thursday, March 17, 2022. The current zoning for the mall property (General Commercial), allows gas stations in the zone, subject to a Conditional Use Permit. The company plans to renovate the malls movie theater and expand it by 20,000 square feet. Smith co-founded the group Responsible Growth Marin in 2019 to help organize people who opposed the plan for a Costco store. Workers at both companies were given pay and benefits rather than 60 days notice of their layoffs. She's a Bay Area native. 5800 Northgate Mall Suite 100 San Rafael, CA 94903. The Chico State graduate is passionate about being outdoors, cooking, creative writing and community-focused journalism and resilience. . Ninety jobs are affected. The second phase has a much longer time frame tentatively circa 2040 and includes up to 460 more apartments plus revamped retail spaces and more open areas. The first phase also calls for building four apartment buildings on the southern and eastern edges of the property with a combined 896 residences. Northgate Station (formerly Northgate Mall) is an enclosed shopping mall in Seattle, Washington, United States.It is located in the Northgate neighborhood on Interstate 5, adjacent to Northgate Way and Northgate station, a light rail station. The job cuts took place on Feb. 17. Wife of missing Bay Area radio host says Jeffrey Vandergrift will not Last chance to see: Bay Bridge lights turn off on Sunday, Sen. 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The draft environmental impact report is expected to be scheduled for a Planning Commission hearing in August. (See next . Other highlights of the revision include solar power: all residential buildings would be 100% electric. A developer has revised its proposal to overhaul the Northgate mall property in San Rafael, adding townhomes for sale and other features. The closure comes as Bay Area tech companies grapple with massive layoffs, which have also rattled businesses in the food industry.