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. Northgate Mall is a shopping mall located in the Terra Linda neighborhood of San Rafael, California, 15 miles (24 km) north of the Golden Gate Bridge.It's the largest of three shopping centers in San Rafael called Northgate. The appropriateness of a gas station and evaluation of any potential impacts will be considered through the public review process. That is one of the key elements that we are committing to as part of these changes to the plan.. The project calls for 96 affordable residences along with structure and surface parking. We have been looking at ways to get more housing built faster in order to comply with the tall order given to us by the state, Jensen said. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal). ATTENTION: Online services for the Business License Division and Transient Occupancy (Hotel) Tax will be unavailable starting 02/24/2023 at 3:30pm. 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. J.K. Dineen covers housing and real estate development. FILE: The BJ's Restaurant location at Northgate Mall in San Rafael is expected to close in April. The job cuts occurred on Feb. 17. Improve the visual connection to the mail by incorporating some of the existing material palette i.e., (more stone, less concrete). A developer has revised its proposal to overhaul the Northgate mall property in San Rafael, adding townhomes for sale and other features. Northgate ::: San Rafael ::: CA Merlone Geier hopes to revitalize the mall by building housing on the site, said David Geiser, the companys managing director. The DRBs purview is solely on design matters, so comments should be related to design, such as site plan, architecture, bulk and mass, colors and material, landscaping, etc. in English from UC Berkeley. Apparently, this location is now on private property with no public access. 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. Those days are gone, but with a walkable mix of shopping, plazas, entertainment and housing, it could once again be a draw. I was really heartened to see that Merlone Geier did listen to the community at large, Geraghty said. 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. 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The electronics company provides communications and information technology services and is the U.S. research arm of Huawei. The owner of the Mall, Merlone Geier has indicated that housing is still an option that they will consider in the future. Our vision to bring people back to Northgate is to combine destination shopping, eating and entertainment with new, quality residences., David Smith, who lives near the mall, said the new plan is a huge improvement over the Costco proposal.. Suite 72 Available now! Northgate Mall. 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. He joined The Chronicle in 2014 covering San Francisco land use politics for the City Hall team. Among the announced layoffs was BJ's Restaurants, which said it would close the San Rafael location at Northgate mall on April 12. Northgate is the only enclosed regional mall and the largest family oriented shopping destination in Marin County. 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. Get Directions. We are thrilled that Merlone Geier Partners listened to the community and our little groups grassroots efforts, she said. Reduce the scale of the project (i.e., height, lot coverage, etc.) 2023 State of California. In San Francisco, the owner of the Stonestown Galleria is planning on building several thousand housing units on surface parking lots. Also envisioned for the first phase would be the transformation of the Century movie complex, including for IMAX features. Regular Bank Hours: Monday - Thursday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific Time . The mall has 2,908 parking spaces and the new plan would reduce that number to 2,311, including 1,789 not reserved for apartments. The closure comes as Bay Area tech companies grapple with massive layoffs, which have also rattled businesses in the food industry. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal). SFGATE reached out to BJs for comments but did not hear back by publication. Address and locations: 5800 Northgate Mall, San Rafael, California - CA 94903. They will resume 02/27/2023 at 10:00am. Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael, CA 94903. 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. This content is for decoration only skip decoration. Other highlights of the revision include solar power: all residential buildings would be 100% electric. Thats a great signal to the city to phase out burning fossil fuels to heat our homes.. Phase one would consist of 896 units in four three- and four-story apartment buildings on the southern and eastern edge of the property. Costco: Northgate Mall - San Rafael Susana Guerrero is a reporter for SFGATE covering the Bay Area's food scene. To keep the residence count at the desired level, 224 apartments would be added to the two complexes planned along Las Gallinas Avenue. The planners of the Northgate mall redevelopment in San Rafael have been sent back to the drawing board over concerns of density, parking and overall site layout. Merlone Geier plans to hold virtual community forums about the redevelopment master plan on March 30 and April 20. Minted, an online marketplace and platform for independent artists and designers, is cutting six jobs at a Hayward manufacturing plant that will be closed down. 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The first phase also calls for building four apartment buildings on the southern and eastern edges of the property with a combined 896 residences. Overall, the project aims to mix transit-oriented housing with community space, retail and restaurants. What applications have been filed and how/when will those be reviewed? The six apartment buildings would add 1,464,000 square feet of residential space. Hours Sun: 12P - 6P. The Conceptual Review and Pre Application process have been completed and comments from city staff, the Design Review Board and Planning Commission and the public being forwarded to the applicant. The company is proposing two project phases: the construction of 907 residences starting in 2025, followed by 413 homes beginning in 2040. We are definitely pro-housing, she said. Artist's rendering for proposed development at Northgate Mall shows shops and residential building. Logan said the company plans more public meetings before a design review hearing that is tentatively set for July. The acceptance of in-lieu fees as a substitute for actual affordable housing getting built is counterproductive to fulfilling this great need at this time.. The DRB provided the following primary comments. Workers at both companies were given pay and benefits rather than 60 days notice of their layoffs. The Commissions focus is on land use matters (ie traffic, noise, parking, land use compatibility). Sign up today. Some commenters, like Terra Linda resident Claire Halenbeck, said they want the central plaza to be built sooner than 2040. You may also contact the OPR via email at state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov or via phone at (916) 445-0613. The first phase in 2025 includes the demolition of the former Sears store, the HomeGoods building and approximately 140,932 square feet of the mall. Start my search; . 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. General Mall Hours ~ What Time does the Mall Open/Close Today? Local, regional and national restaurants will then be added. The Pre Application process allows an applicant to receive: 1) preliminary feedback from the City, including code requirements, 2) capacity review from utility providers, and 3) roadmap for any subsequent permits or processes required by the City to process the formal application. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal), The former Sears store at Northgate Mall is seen in San Rafael on Thursday, March 11, 2021. Disclaimer: The Governors Office of Planning and Research (OPR) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. so that it is closer in size to the existing Sears buildings and takes into consideration the lower scale of both the adjacent residential neighborhood and the existing Mall. Conceptual Design Review involves a public meeting with the DRB. The project includes two construction phases. It is the only enclosed regional shopping center in Marin County. The development of the new Northgate Mall is a long-range . Current major tenants within the mall include Century Theatre, Macys, Kohls, Rite Aid, and HomeGoods. She received an M.A. Project Contact Tricia Stevens, Project Planner at (916) 698-4592 or. The traffic study will evaluate existing traffic conditions, along with previously approved, but not yet built projects, including the recently approved Northgate Walk and other approved, but not yet built projects in North San Rafael. The Pre Application and Conceptual review processes were completed in October 2019 and no further City action will occur on this project. The current zoning for the property does allow housing, in addition to commercial development. 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. It's the largest of three shopping centers in San Rafael called Northgate. Evernote, a software company that has developed a note-taking app, will eliminate 65 positions in Redwood City. Marin County mall could be converted into 1,345 housing units, movie theater. Live verbal commenting will be available during the session. The revised plan is a victory for Responsible Growth in Marin, an organization with 900 members that was created to fight the Costco. Northgate will not have an office component, but people migrating from workign from home or a remote location will be able to go to pool decks, fitness areas and outdoor spaces, Logan said. Costco and Merlone Geier (owner of Northgate Mall) have applied for a Conceptual Review/Pre Application to solicit preliminary feedback from the City and the public for a Costco at this location. 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. At this point, a Major Design Review Permit, Master Use Permit amendment and Sign Program amendment would be required. Jessuina Prez-Tern of the Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative said the project must move forward to help San Rafael approach goals for housing. A link to register is at futurenorthgatemall.com. Among the announced layoffs was BJs Restaurants, which said it would close the San Rafael location at Northgate mall on April 12. But Jenny Silva said, We need to be able to grow higher. 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. The traffic study will be reviewed by the Citys traffic engineer, along with a 3rd party traffic engineer hired by the City. 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. Logan said the new buildings would blend into the Eichler aesthetic, with pitched roofs and simple, traditional materials such as metals, woods, glass and brick. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256. 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. (See next . He is the author of two books: "Here Tomorrow" (Heyday, 2013) and "High Spirits" (Heyday, 2015). Why are other locations not being considered (near Target or the former Orchard Supply Hardware)? Leslie Mendez, a city planning official, said the project will be referred to the countys water and sanitation districts first. BJ's Restaurant to permanently close Bay Area mall location See next photo for a look at this spot in 2012. (Provided by City of San Rafael), Artist's rendering for proposed development at Northgate Mall shows a view of a community park. Under the new plan, it would have 2,311 parking spaces, including 1,789 public spaces not reserved for the apartment buildings. BJs Restaurant, the national chain known for its Pizookie dessert, will have one fewer Bay Area location next month. Housing really becomes the critical piece in Northgates evolution in that amenities will be close by. 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.