HomeMy WebLinkAboutSPJT Minutes 1986-07-01SRCC/PLANNING C MISSION MINUTES (Special int) 7/1/86 Page 1
In the Council Chambers of the City of San Rafael, Tuesday, July 1, 1986
at 7:30 PM.
Special SRCC/Planning Commission Meeting:
Councilmembers present: Lawrence E. Mulryan, Mayor
Dorothy L. Breiner, Councilmember
Gary R. Frugoli, Councilmember
Richard Nave, Councilmember
Jerry Russom, Councilmember
Absent: None
Commissioners present: Robert Livingston, Chairman
Michael J. Smith, Vice -Chairman
Albert J. Boro, Commissioner
Joyce B. Rifkind, Commissioner
Suzanne M. Scott, Commissioner
Maynard H. Willms, Commissioner
Absent: Richard O'Brien, Commissioner
Also Present: Pamela J. Nicolai, City Manager; Jeanne M. Leoncini,
City Clerk; Gary T. Ragghianti, City Attorney; Anne
Moore, Planning Director; Jeff Baird, General Plan
Coordinator; Daniel Iacofano, Facilitator
RE: PUBLIC HEARING CONCERNING GENERAL PLAN REVISION - COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT ISSUES - File 10-6 x 115
Mayor Mulryan declared the public hearing opened.
Mayor Mulryan stated that this is the first of two public hearings
to be held, with the second public hearing to take place tomorrow,
July 2, 1986. Mayor Mulryan introduced Mr. Daniel Iacofano who
gave an introduction as to what was to be discussed this evening.
Mr. Jeff Baird, General Plan Coordinator, gave an update on the
General Plan, stating that the General Plan revision work program
sets forth a seven step process: 1) Data collection; 2) Public
Workshops & Survey of Residential and Business Opinions on Various
issues; 3) Preparation of background reports on Natural Environment,
Health & Safety and tonight, Community Development issues; 4) Policy
Direction on major issues facing the City; 5) Preparation of the draft
plan and EIR; 6) & 7) To begin in September, 1986, will be the public
review of the Draft General Plan, Environmental Impact Report,
and adoption of the Revised General Plan.
Planning Director Moore explained that the Community Development
section had been divided into four sub -sections, and encouraged
those present to speak on any of the four areas that are of interest.
Mr. Daniel Iacofano recapped results that were presented in the
Policy Workshops held in May pertaining to Natural Environment and
Health & Safety. Most of the data reflect results from the workshops
and community survey. Mr. Iacofano stated that tonight would be the
second series on the Policy Topics.
Mr. Iacofano then recapped the Community Survey results. The concept
of the survey was to create representative sample of residents in
order to get a balanced profile of the different neighborhoods and
types of respondents, social background, etc. His presentation was
divided into the following parts:
Major Assets and Liabilities
Slides shown were of the natural environment, which was on the top
of the list signifying the access to the bay and the proximity to San
Francisco and the City's general location in the Bay Area.
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Historically significant buildings contribute to the character of
the community.
Community services were rated highly in the workshops, which was
confirmed during the survey, with the feeling that City services are
of high quality.
Traffic was the first choice of liabilities, with transportation
access, ability to connect from City streets into major arterials and
to move throughout and out of the City identified as well.
Development on ridges was noted as a major liability, and marshland
losses were mentioned as a threat to the environment. Noise from the
quarry was pointed out as a liability, although some people classified
the quarry to be an asset contributing to the economic base of the City.
Lack of affordable housing was also noted as a major liability.
Favorite Places in San Rafael
Number one is the Marin County Civic Center. Gerstle Park and China
Camp were considered to be favorite places with Downtown second on the
list.
Major Issues Facing San Rafael
Traffic Management, Growth Management, Transportation Access, and
Affordable Housing were all identified in both the workshops and survey.
The need for a downtown plan is consistent with some of the results of
previous workshops held last year on the downtown area.
Community Services & Facilities
There is a strong indication for improvements in child care,
entertainment and youth activities. The community is very satisfied
with Parks and Adult Recreation programs. In comparison, major shopping
and neighborhood shopping were rated relatively low. The Police and
Fire Departments were rated with high satisfaction.
Mr. Iacofano took the same set of questions to see how people were
willing to pay for service improvements. The results dropped a little.
Child care and entertainment were high, with youth activities and
parks clearly showing a higher role for the public sector and,
therefore, a willingness on the part of the public to pay for those
kinds of programs. Local transit and libraries followed, but neighbor-
hood shopping improvements were seen as less needing improvement.
Downtown usage is quantified in the survey response by residents and
businesses, which gives an indicator of how knowledgeable the sample
population is about downtown. The sample shows that there is fairly
strong usage of downtown by people in San Rafael. Most people get
downtown by car, however, nearby residents also walk quite often.
Likes of Downtown
The downtown area was shown to be used for shopping, restaurants and
banks by residents. The survey showed that people liked downtown
because of the small town atmosphere, variety of shops, also
restaurants, cleanliness and convenience.
Dislikes of Downtown
Consistent dislikes were parking followed by traffic. Transients
were noted as a third dislike.
Suggested Improvements for Downtown
Improve parking; wider shop selection.
Mr. Iacofano closed his presentation stating that he gave some of the
highlights to be used as a reference point in the later stages of the
planning process and the discussion tonight.
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Mayor Mulryan then called upon Jeff Baird to give a presentation re
"What Should the Overall Image of San Rafael Be?"
1. WHAT SHOULD THE OVERALL IMAGE OF SAN RAFAEL BE?
Mr. Baird stated that he would be presenting background information
which would be followed by Planning Director Moore presenting
the recommended approach.
Mr. Baird stated that there are two main aspects to this question,
1) How Urban should San Rafael Be?; and 2) How Can the City enhance
unused or underutilized assets of San Rafael?
Mr. Baird reviewed slides of San Rafael. Assets - Open hillsides and
the natural environment; and that San Rafael is the urban center of
the County, with a number of services available. Identifiable, high
quality residential neighborhoods in the City and the small town
community feeling are also important. Water orientation and wetlands
were also identified as assets.. In addition, there is a Farmers Market
and the historic character, such as the Dominican Convent. The City
has taken a number of positive steps to improve the downtown area
through beautification and other means.
A future asset is the railroad right-of-way, for example, with
potential use as a transit -way for high volume travel. This
should be looked at from an overall design aspect in terms of the
presentation of San Rafael for people passing through. There are
areas along the railroad that are not attractive, where buildings
should have put an attractive side toward the railroad right-of-way.
The freeway frontage, i.e. Highway 17 and Francisco Boulevard areas,
provide an opportunity to attract customers because of the high
visibility of the businesses in the area. The City has been involved
in undergrounding utilities, focusing attention on landscaping, and
building facades and other means to improve the area. But, an areawide
approach needs to be taken to improve and beautify those areas.
Underutilized assets such as creeks and the Canal came out in the
workshops. In some cases the Canal is not utilized as an asset,
with projects oriented away from the water, thereby prohibiting access
and views of the Canal.
There are still areas in the downtown area that could be improved,
through unifying aspects, linkages between Albert Park and "A" Street,
north through the Mission where, through unifying landscaping and other
means, a pedestrian access design could unify the area and pull it
together.
In closing, Mr. Baird added that City policies and evaluation of
specific projects have been very effective. The special attention that
has been shown to the downtown area could be applied to other areas
of the City where, through special attention, other areas could capture
some of the underutilized opportunities that exist, such as the Canal
and Freeway frontage.
Recommended Approach
Planning Director Moore stated the following staff recommendations:
a. Retain the "small town" character of San Rafael by maintaining
the existing scale of development and have an emphasis on natural
features and connections between areas.
b. Identify special localized areas where somewhat higher intensity
development or special public areas would be appropriate to create
focal points which would strengthen and enhance the physical
characteristics and image of the City.
c. Identify the important community entryways, major travel corridors,
major linkages and waterways, and develop prioritized design
policies and programs consistent with the overall goals of the City.
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Emphasizing design in the core area of downtown has been remarkably
successful and it is proposed that the same level of detail be put
to other important areas of San Rafael.
This approach does not differ from the basic philosophy or approach
of the current General Plan. The current General Plan Goal 5 -
states "that it is the City's goal to preserve and improve the
character and quality of the manmade portion of the environment".
What is different in the revision of the General Plan, is that it
will have very specific descriptions on how this will be accomplished.
There will be specifics regarding height and bulk and where higher
buildings should be placed; what the development focal points in
the community will be; where we need landscape boulevards or avenues
to tie an area together or to give it special character. Ms. Moore
gave the example of the Draft East San Rafael Neighborhood Plan,
which identified streets to be given uniform, specialized street
tree treatment, thereby appearing as the major streets in the
neighborhood. This is what will be looked at throughout the City.
In response to Councilmember Russom's request to explain item "b"
Ms. Moore commented that the existing General Plan identifies
activity center areas such as Northgate and Downtown and applies
the approach used in the 1974 General Plan to identify portions of
the City where more intensified urban scale development is
appropriate and consistent with the history of San Rafael. Right
now, staff concludes that the Downtown area, Northgate, West
Francisco Boulevard and non-residential portions of the East San
Rafael Neighborhood are activity areas. The potential for higher
development in the North San Rafael area at Silveira and St.
Vincent's is still under evaluation by staff.
Councilmember Russom clarified that staff is looking at the focal
points where higher intensity development can occur in a positive
sense, where it enhances the characteristics of the City rather
than from the negative point of view, where it would be the least
disruptive. Ms. Moore responded that that was the approach.
Councilmember Frugoli stated that North San Rafael should be looked
at as a major residential area for housing although nothing is there
at present.
Mayor Mulryan asked for comments or questions from the audience.
Ms. Susan Cornblatt of 1971 Fifth Avenue, stated that she could
not respond to the recommended policy identifying special localized
areas appropriate for higher intensity development because the
areas are not specified in the report.
In response, Ms. Moore indicated that they expect to build on the
use of activity center designation in the existing General Plan.
The two major areas so designated are Downtown and Northgate. Staff
concluded that it is appropriate to continue to regard those areas
where more intense urban scale development will be concentrated. In
addition, staff is focusing in on West Francisco Boulevard which
historically has been an activity center, and the East San Rafael
Neighborhood which is the area south of the Canal and East of Highway
101, where there are non-residential uses. The real question
involves North San Rafael. It is not proposed in the areas men-
tioned above to deviate from what has been the historical use. North
of Northgate, the Silveira Ranch and the lands of St. Vincent's have
been involved in agricultural activities and contracts until the past
couple of years. The agricultural activities are still in place but
the contracts encumbering the lands are no longer active. This is
the major expansion area for the City of San Rafael. At this point,
staff does not know if that area should be treated as a continuation
of Northgate where large scale office buildings and office -retail
centers would be, or if it should be more similar to the Marinwood/
Lucas Valley community area.
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Ms. Cornblatt asked at what point in the process do specific
recommendations become part of the plan; Ms. Moore answered that
they would be in the Draft General Plan, however, the recommenda-
tions only become policy through City Council adoption after a
lengthy public review and comment process.
Ms. Cornblatt stated that the specifics would have been helpful
if they were included.
Mrs. Georgeanna McCardy asked for clarification of the relationship
between the County of Marin and San Rafael in regard to North San
Rafael.
Mayor Mulryan replied that the City limit currently is at Lucas
Valley Road,with the planning area boundary along Big Rock Ridge.
LAFCO is the Agency having the responsibility to determine if a
property should be incorporated into the City. The agricultural
areas and school (in the case of St. Vincent's) will require muni-
cipal services and so the question is posed as to what City they
will come into. It has been agreed that these properties are within
the City of San Rafael's sphere of influence and so are included in
the plan. They are County, but only because they are not currently
municipal in nature. Part of the plan is to determine that if and
when they become municipal, how should it be used?
Mrs. McCardy stated that Marinwood and Lucas Valley did not wish to
to belong to the City of San Rafael and that the County should play
a more major role in the decisions affecting these areas.
Mayor Mulryan stated that Marinwood is already municipal in nature
and the discussion is on changes that are different from what they
are now; the areas that would require municipal services if they
were to change to municipal type uses.
Mr. Kevin Langdon of 823 Idleberry Road in Lucas Valley stated that
he originally lived in Terra Linda. When he saw Terra Linda heading
toward incorporation he moved to Lucas Valley. He stated that there
is now a new awareness of preserving the environmental values in San
Rafael. He referred to a small development in the Marinwood/Lucas
Valley area of 18 units of senior citizens housing which was over-
whelmingly rejected by the majority of the residents of the Lucas
Valley area at a public meeting. Mr. Langdon continued to state
that Lucas Valley is closer to the St. Vincent's and Silveira pro-
perties. He stated that it was extremely important that the
character of their community not be changed and said that the most
important property from their point of view is the Daphne property
with the Silveira property as the second most important property.
They would like to have a low density residential designation in
that area.
Mayor Mulryan reminded the audience that the annexation of Marinwood
and Lucas Valley is not a part of tonight's proceedings, noting that
ten years ago, efforts were taken to acquire open space in the Terra
Linda area and indicating that many acres have already been secured
through funds raised by people of this community.
Ms. Victoria DeWitt of 40 Fremont Road spoke on a new lane being
added north on the freeway and asked what the procedure is on this.
Mayor Mulryan stated that the lanes are to accommodate what is
projected already.
Ms. DeWitt suggested that in future plans there be pre -planning on
the freeway so that the lanes are added prior to the development.
Mr. Bob Hoffmann of 114 Plymouth Cove in East San Rafael, spoke on the
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options of downtown lacking policy direction more than other areas
in the City. He asked if the preliminary Neighborhood 30 Plan was
being used as a policy direction, and it was explained that the
agenda is broken up into two parts and that it would be brought up
later on in the evening.
Ms. Moore interjected that relative to Downtown, it was made very
clear at all of the workshops that the reason there appears to be
an emphasis on Downtown different from many of the other areas, is
because there has not been specific attention paid to it as an
activity center in the past. There has been to Northgate through
the Northgate Activity Center Plan. She indicated that although
the Plan needs revision and modification we are not starting from
scratch. Likewise in East San Rafael, there are a lot of data and
proposed policies ready for evaluation which provide a good solid
starting point. The West Francisco Draft Policy Statement has also
received much attention through public hearings and deliberations by
the Planning Commission and City Council. Downtown, however, has
not received similar treatment. Staff is not saying that Downtown
is more important than all those other areas, but that it has not
gotten its due attention in the past which needs to be remedied in
this plan. Regarding the East San Rafael data, public reaction to
some of the proposed policies is being used as background informa-
tion by staff and not as policy. All of the draft proposals are
open for re-examination and possible modification in East San Rafael.
Mr. Mark Baird of 230 Solano Street said that he recently moved
into the San Rafael area and has a business here, adding that
he likes San Rafael and that he found that the trees are very
attractive and was concerned about their maintenance.
Mayor Mulryan explained that the City has a tree program whereby
it is hoped that over a period of time all of the trees will be be
taken care of equally, and that there are no priorities by neighbor-
hood.
Mr. Baird asked how the public will have the opportunity to take
part in the specifics of the General Plan.
Mayor Mulryn responded that the public has had the opportunity to
take part in the surveys and workshops already and that tonight is
the review of what has taken place in the workshops, and that from
this the Draft General Plan will be done. Subsequent public hearings
will be held in which further involvement is encouraged.
Ms. Moore added that staff would like to hear from people regarding
what should or should not be in the General Plan and that they should
communicate with the Planning staff in writing if possible. She
stated that scores of letters have been sent to major property
owners requesting meetings so staff could understand what people's
expectations are for their property, and further that this is an
open invitation to contact staff within the next two to three weeks.
Mr. Harry Winters, President of the West End Neighborhood Associa-
tion stated that there does not seem to be much focus on the neighbor-
hoods and environment on the agenda. He felt that this revision was
being done in a hasty manner to avoid legal challenges to continued
business and commercial development and trying to avoid bad mistakes
in the development of San Rafael.
Mr. Winters referred to the General Plan revision 11 years ago
where there were many specific proposals made concerning future
residential and commercial development and that the planners at
that time stated that such specifics were not appropriate to the
General Plan but would be implemented in Ordinances to be adopted
afterwards, with very little follow through. He noted, for example,
today the same Slope Ordinance is being used, and stated that the
Planning Department recognizes that it is still inadequate. Mr.
Winters continued to state that this General Plan needs to either be
more specific or the City Council must make sure that there is a real
followup with the specifics indicated. He then added that there is
a pronounced aversion to much of the development that has been occur-
ring. One example, the ridgetop housing (Villa Marin) in Terra Linda
is conceived by most people to be horrible and also noted an open
area on Second and Third Streets where there is a 3 -story building
being built right up to the lot line causing a narrow -like canyon
effect.
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Ms. Yahudid Lieberman of 124 Laurel Place was concerned as to
where the boundary lines are in the downtown area and the
neighborhood, and would like to see the area north of downtown
which is now single family housing, recognized as a separate area
with its own identity and not "fuzzed in" with the heavy density
of downtown commercial.
Ms. Alice Vipiana of 337 Mountain View Avenue stated that she is
heading a committee called "8 is Enough". This means that the 8
lanes through the Dominican area are enough and they are opposed
to another bus lane on the railroad tracks or having a rail system
through the area. She claimed that they are faced with the smog
and fumes from the highway and that the air quality, dust and
noise levels are being affected by the widening of the highway and
that the wall creates a "trumpet" effect. Also, since there is no
alternate route, if an emergency occurs on the freeway they get shut
off from fire or health services. She concluded that she would like
to see a bottleneck in San Rafael to a point where some of the other
cities in the County have to take their fair share.
Mr. Scott Kimmich of 76 Golden Hinde Boulevard spoke on the street
traffic where he lives, stating that it is used for emergency
vehicles to Kaiser Hospital, as an entrance to the high school and
as an access street to the Northgate Shopping Center and that 50
more units are being built there. He commented that hopefully
traffic control is being worked on with the traffic survey being
done now. He recommended putting a stop sign down the street be-
cause of speeding down the hill.
Ms. Marie Schooley of 259 Yosemite Road, Contempo Marin, spoke
on the Smith Ranch Airport and the McInnis Parkway, asking that
attention be focused in these areas on traffic and the 12 foot
brick walls that would be built if a high occupancy vehicle lane
is added, stating they are opposed to it. Ms. Schooley stated
that they approve of the railroad which is not an impact on City
traffic. She referred to the transit trolley system in San Diego
which does not have an impact on City traffic, stating that it pays
for itself and requesting emphasis be put on such a system.
Mayor Mulryan responded to Ms. Schooley's suggestion that the
railroad system be considered, noting it is a question of money
because there is no Federal money available. He stated that the
question of Smith Ranch Road is one of the key reasons why the City
is undergoing the process of the General Plan revision. The City
Council and Planning Commission must determine what the development
potential will be on Smith Ranch Road without affecting the quality
of life in that area.
Ms. Helen Amaroso of 75 Blossom Drive stated that economically,
they should use what was bought and paid for, referring to ideas
made 15 years prior to the last General Plan revision.
Ms. Moore stated that staff has gone back to two plans prior to
the 1974 plan with the material being reviewed by staff, but
there are no plans to publish it.
Mr. Paul Cohen of 514 "C" Street, President of the Carpenters'
Local in Marin County, stated that there seems to be two concepts
on the image of San Rafael. Staff is focusing on what the image
is for people travelling through, and he is also concerned
about the image from the neighborhoods. He stated that these
view points would need to be reconciled and that some development
is inevitable, even though some people want it to happen elsewhere.
It is an opportunity for the people to help in making the develop-
ment as acceptable as possible.
George Silvestri, Jr., Attorney in San Rafael, spoke on behalf of
Ross General Hospital. He referred to page LU -21 stating that
Ross Hospital is licensed for 195 beds, but in fact it is 193 beds.
On page LU -21 and LU -22 re the four principal hospitals in Marin
County, that it does not speak to Ross Hospital's pending applica-
tion to relocate the hospital to the 16 -acre site owned by the
hospital on Smith Ranch Road. Page 8-14 refers to the Smith Ranch
area and that it indicated residential units are being considered,
and that Ross Hospital has no plans to have residential development
for that property.
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Mr. Jerry Craner of 16 Oakridge Road, representing Los Ranchitos,
stated that San Rafael should have a small town image, but that
Northgate has grown and they do not feel that they have a small
town image; Page P-2, that the residential areas would be protected,
but needs to know how they are to be protected. Page LU -24 on air
quality - "Maintenance of air quality standards should not be con-
sidered a significant constraint to development." Mr. Craner stated
that should not be included in the report.
Ms. Moore explained that right now, San Rafael is enjoying the best
air quality in the entire Bay Area. Even with the maximum develop-
ment and growth projections, there are no projections for any sig-
nificant exceedances of Federal and State air quality standards in
Marin County in the future. This is partly because of the conversion
to non-leaded fuel and Federal and State requirements for emission
controls.
Mayor Mulryan stated that the people of Marin do not want to
adhere to Federal or State standards but to be better than that
and informed staff that this should be revised.
Ms. Moore replied that this would be discussed in detail the
Environmental Impact Review.
Commissioner Livingston commented that the intent was not to
ignore air quality; however, the factors acting as constraints
were present long before the question of air quality became an
issue.
Councilmember Russom indicated that it was a poor choice of word-
ing, and interpreted it to read, "probably will not be a constraint
because the air quality level is so high".
Mr. Daniel Simonsen, member of the Cultural Affairs Commission,
spoke on their interest of trees in San Rafael and suggested having
an ordinance adopted to protect the trees and requiring tree planting
in future development.
Ms. Moore stated that there is no work being done on an ordinance
but that evaluation for this kind of ordinance is clearly within the
Image Section of the General Plan. Given the City's designation of
"Tree City USA", there are significant heritage trees in San Rafael
that should be protected. She stated that there could be more em-
phasis on street trees and having an ordinance including heritage
trees will be looked at.
Councilmember Breiner agreed with the recommendations on P-5, and
referred to (b) of the Recommended Approach. She was concerned
about special localized areas and the appropriateness of higher
intensity development. She stated that there should be a very pre-
cise and specific identification of those sites.
Councilmember Nave stated that the small town image is good and that
new housing or commercial development should not infringe on the
existing neighborhoods. A circulation pattern should also be de-
veloped which minimizes the impact on the neighborhoods. He added
that the plan is well done.
Councilmember Frugoli referred to P-5 (c) re major linkages and
waterways, stating that the waterways give the City an advantage
and should be used, especially in the East San Rafael area, from
Pickleweed to the Richmond -San Rafael Bridge.
2. WHAT SHOULD THE CITY'S ECONOMIC AND FISCAL GOALS BE AND WHAT
SHOULD BE THE OVERALL DIRECTION FOR DOWNTOWN?
Ms. Moore called upon Mr. Richard Recht, of Recht, Hausrath &
Associates, the economic consultants who wrote the background
report entitled "Enconomic Conditions and Issues", an appendix
to the Community Development Background Report.
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Mr. Recht presented information on the economy of San Rafael,
hoping that the people would understand the opportunities and
constraints that are available to the City as part of the General
Plan process.
He noted that every Community has to bring in money from outside.
Marin has a large number of commuters working in San Francisco who
do bring money into the City; some amount of insurance; some amount
of economic base media production and almost no manufacturing. He
went on to state that one out of four persons is employed in the
retail trade and San Rafael is the center of the business economy
in Marin County, dominating almost all retail and service catego-
ries. Fiscally, sales tax revenues account for two-thirds of City
revenues.
Retail Sectors
One sector is called "comparison goods" which is major shopping
usually done in regional centers with department and apparel stores.
Historically, downtown San Rafael has been the dominant retail
center with Macy's and Penney's Department stores the only two in
the County. Northgate was then developed almost two decades ago
and it accounts for almost 15 percent of the City's taxable sales.
The Village in Corte Madera opened last year with Corte Madera
Town Center opening this year and a Novato Center being proposed.
The Village has had a significant effect on San Rafael both down-
town and at Northgate. Town Center will probably compete with the
stores in San Rafael. The proposed Hahn Center in Novato is up in
the air because, as quoted in the papers, Macy's will not make a
commitment. Although population is low between San Rafael and
Santa Rosa, if the Hahn Center is built, it would have the biggest
effect on San Rafael's retail.
Mr. Recht stated that it was his presupposition that Macy's would
not enter the Hahn Center and would continue to maintain a strong
store in downtown San Rafael.
San Rafael has tripled the California per capita per household
sales in general. It tripled the California sales and apparel,
general merchandise, primarily department stores, and home
furnishings and appliances. He noted that San Rafael has grown
faster than the rest of Marin and faster than the State.
Mayor Mulryan interjected that Mr. Recht's figures differed from
his own. Mr. Recht explained that he compared calendar year 1985
which had some decline in the fourth quarter with the opening of
the new center, with the 1970 sales and that the tables are in
the report.
Mr. Recht added there is a strong growth pattern in San Rafael;
however, there is a noticeable impact in the San Rafael stores in
areas that compete with the new center at the Village.
Eating and Drinking
This is a strong sector but only 40 percent above California and
Marin averages and it is not growing as a percent of retail sales
despite the number of restaurants opening. The large restaurants
are concentrated on Fourth Street.
Buildinq Materials
San Rafael accounts for 74 percent of County taxable retail sales
in building materials, up from 43 percent in 1970. The Francisco
Boulevard West area has the largest percentage.
Automobile Dealers and Supplies
This presents more revenues than other sectors, with 60 percent
of new car sales in the County. The City has a strong central
location advantage in the marketing of automobiles, resulting
in the strongest dealers in the County. If an effective auto
center were to be located outside San Rafael, it would compete
very strongly with dealerships remaining in San Rafael.
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Non -Retail Sectors
There has been a steady County growth utilizing office space, i.e.
finance, insurance, real estate, legal and medical. There also is
an overbuilding of office space. In the long term, there is a
potential for steady growth if there are cities that are willing
to zone the land for office space.
Mr. Recht stated that in his many meetings with staff, he found
that staff is very concerned that they have appropriate policies
for the residential neighborhoods, however, in his perspective,
there are not the number of options available for the neighbor-
hoods that there are for downtown. There needs to be a deter-
mination on how to achieve protecting the neighborhoods, enhancing
and maintaining their character, rather than bringing up the question,
Should the neighborhoods be changed from low density to high
density?
Alternative Emphases
Mr. Recht indicated that the six different emphases listed, would
give City Council and the Planning Commission choices on policies
that would enhance the downtown area.
1. Maintenance of Diversity - This should be maintained. Downtown
is a classic marketplace with stores, office employment, ser-
vices and restaurants all supporting one another. If this is
desirable, it is recommended that it be made a policy and that
potential weak sectors in this diversity be determined if needed
to be protected and the potential dominant sectors.
2. Retail Center - Establishing downtown to be a strong retail
center. Seek downtown to compete with the new centers adding
more stores and providing covenient parking, etc.
3. Office Center - This is the modern downtown to be solidified
as the business center of Marin with the image of the "key
place" of Marin.
4. Regional Sales & Service - This is to be distinquished from
the retail shopping center which focuses on fairly narrow
sectors of sales, apparel and household goods. Downtown
should be seen as the marketplace with a wide range of stores
that do not usually locate in regional centers. Examples -
musical instruments, bicycle sales and repairs, hobby stores,
rare books, flooring and wall coverings, window coverings as
well as department stores, apparel stores, restaurants, etc.
5. Local Sales and Service - Emphasis is to provide shopping for
residents, i.e. groceries, drugstores, hardware and drycleaning.
The physical design would be low key with intent in preserving
the present character of downtown, having a slight advantage of
cutting down on traffic.
6. Housing - Affordable housing in the County and City; shortage
of multiple units with the major part of the policy having new
multiple units downtown with the retention of older and larger
homes being converted to other uses.
Mr. Recht stated that in his opinion not all or even a majority
of the above can be pursued equally, because they compete for
space and require different support policies. The City would
play some role for some activities and another role for others.
Policy choices should be made if some activities are more
important than others.
Re the PG&E parcel, Mr. Recht stated that this parcel should be
planned with its relationship to downtown and Francisco Boulevard
West area, and that decisions should not be made with the PG&E
parcel being isolated.
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There should be careful thought put into the Francisco Boulevard
West area which is about one and one-half percent of the City land
area providing 13 percent of retail sales, building materials, auto
and other retail. Economically, the land is worth more for new
development than for most of the present uses. If there are no
policies to protect the present uses, the present uses will be cut
back gradually and new development will take its place. If it is in
the public interest to keep the present activities, then protection
is required; if new development is appropriate, there has to be a
policy decision as to the type. This should be done in relationship
as part of the economic goal of the City as a whole but particularly
with regard to downtown.
Commissioner Smith referred to Mr. Hoffmann's question as to why
there is so much emphasis on the Downtown and East San Rafael
areas. He stated that two-thirds of the City's budget is derived
from sales tax dollars, and that without these dollars the City
would have a difficult time supplying the services the people want.
In response to Commissioner Smith's questions on estimates on the
reduction of sales taxes in the year 1986 over 1985 and observations
as to the parking needs, Mr. Recht replied that he had not taken
data on fiscal year 1986 but extracted it from the raw data from
the fourth quarter of 1985. The two-thirds figure is a percentage
of general fund revenues.
Mr. Recht pointed out that the City would need to be more ag-
gressive in terms of change if it wants to preserve the downtown
for sales to local residents. The economy indicates that the people
are not preferring to use the drycleaners and grocery stores
downtown and the City would need to act to protect them.
Regarding parking, Mr. Recht stated that he was not involved in a
study where adequate parking was listed as a concern. The people
have come to expect that when they go shopping, they would drive
to the store and that there would be parking in that area.
Mr. Recht agreed with Councilmember Frugoli that the PG&E site
should also be tied into the downtown area.
Commissioner Scott asked Mr. Recht what the feasible use for the
PG&E lot would be and he replied that, as an example, the City has
a dominant position in building materials. If the area was
established as a building materials center, not lumber or aggregate,
but wall coverings, paint, etc., combination of wholesale and
retail, residential and commercial, it would be a center that would
dominate the sales of materials in Marin in the future.
Commissioner Boro inquired regarding economic change in the West
San Rafael area. He wanted to know if a model had been developed
which would show where the sales tax comes from in the City and
that if change did occur would they be able to anticipate it. Mr.
Recht replied that the question addresses the basic data and that
some analyses was done from the 300 pages produced by the State
Board of Equalization each year. This identifies receipts from
each retail outlet on a monthly basis. This was broken down by
various types to track in detail, some data over time which were
not available from other sources. The City calculated the principal
sources of retail sales tax from this material for the Francisco
West area when the issue came up about one year ago. The material
gave a good idea of the volume of sales and the contributors to it.
Mr. Harry Winters commented on evaluating the least aggressive
and the least revenue producing plans for downtown versus the
most aggressive, stating that this is only half of the equation.
He asked what other obligations will be coming down on the City
with each one of the plans. He stated that the overall revenue
picture, not only what it will produce for the City but what it
will involve, must be analyzed.
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Mr. Rick Norman of 96 Bret Harte Road stated that the Economic
Analysis is complete pointing out the fact that the City of
San Rafael is at an economic crossroad and asked Council and
Commissioners to support the recommended approaches.
Ms. Rezee Acadry of 1565 Fourth St., stated that they have no
parking in the area and need to park in the one and two hour
zones on "F" Street and would like to have a sticker program to
allow them to park in their neighborhood.
Mr. Kevin Langdon of 823 Idleberry Road in Lucas Valley spoke on
the rail corridor indicating that he has not seen suggestions to
use the existing tracks which he states would be a small fraction
in cost. He also spoke on the City controlling both new housing
and new businesses and said that there is a tolerable balance now,
but if changed it would become worse. He suggested that strong
emphasis be placed in keeping things the way they are especially
land development and that much of the land should be reserved for
open space.
Councilmember Frugoli stated that the recent statistics from the
Marin County Chamber of Commerce showed that there was an increase
of 86 percent in jobs and an increase of less than six percent in
population, so jobs and housing are not close to being in balance.
He added that there is no housing for the people who actually work
in San Rafael and as a result they have to commute causing traffic
problems on Highway 101.
Mayor Mulryan commented that 57 percent of jobs in San Rafael are
held by people living in this area which is an extremely high
average.
In response to an earlier question, Mr. Recht interjected that he
did not include Inter -Governmental transfers and user charges into
the percentage of sales tax revenues figure he had quoted.
Councilmember Russom commented that the lion's share of the City
budget goes toward Police and Fire protection and streets and road
maintenance which are essential services the City pays for. It
should not be thought that the City generates money for the sake
of taking in money. The revenue is taken for real and critical
needs.
Councilmember Nave stated that the City of San Rafael is the
economic hub of Marin in terms of growth and sales tax, and
compared to other cities relating to streets, parks and services,
that San Rafael is the leader, indicating this is true because the
City has been able to get tax money to provide exceptional services.
Ms. Victoria DeWitt of 40 Fremont Road stated that the City's
services are very good and that the City was very responsive
during the time of the recent storm. She added that even though the
shopping center at Corte Madera is taking sales away from the
City that she did not care for it and would continue to shop in San
Rafael.
Mr. Bob Hoffmann stated that he participated in a downtown
committee about one and one half years ago to determine how the
downtown area could be reorganized within a regional context.
He suggested that the report is available and that it should be
looked at.
Mr. Paul Cohen agreed with Mr. Rick Norman's statements that in
addition to the auto usage in the West Francisco Boulevard area,
it is important to also consider the construction usage. He asked if
the report could include more detail on the significance of
lumber and aggregate revenues to the City, and if there have been
attempts made to identify possible alternatives for this type of
usage; what area is worth more for new development rather than for
usage of this type and is there a tradeoff to the City (is it worth
giving up possible revenue for new development to preserve this kind
of centrally located, construction uses in the County)?
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Mayor Mulryan indicated that this is an excellent point and that
although the documents may not reflect this, a great amount of
time has been spent on this matter.
Mr. Recht interjected that the Detailed Economic Report has some
of the figures requested by the above speaker and that 13 percent of
the City's sales tax was identified as coming from the West
Francisco Boulevard area. Furthermore, 60 percent was construction
related and 23 percent was auto related with 17 percent remaining.
Mr. Roger Smith of 1968 Fifth Avenue, working as a commercial
real estate agent in San Rafael, spoke in favor of maintaining
large offices and similar type uses in downtown San Rafael.
Mr. Ralph Crocker of 13 Hyannis Cove commented that the Planning
staff and Mr. Recht are to be complimented on the quality and
quantity of the material presented. However, he focused on the
Montecito Shopping Center, stating that it is deteriorating and
that the private market is likely to resolve the situation. He
indicated that this would be successful and beneficial to the City
and stated that there should be a long term planning policy to
combine redevelopment of Montecito with other areas flanking the
Canal.
Mayor Mulryan stated that they have been trying to convince the
numerous owners to accomplish what the City has not been able to do
before, which is to turn the front of the shopping center to the
Canal rather than its back.
Mr. Recht stated that he had not given this matter the attention it
deserves and that he agreed with the statement made by Mr. Crocker.
Commissioner Willms referred to the positive impact of new buildings
on the Canal such as Ferro Plaza,and future ones to come,such as the
Davood property (at 700 Irwin Street).
Ms. Eileen Anderson of 304 "H" Street wondered why a building on
the PG&E property could act as a building materials store when
the stores in Montecito having building materials have done away
with most of their paints, etc.
Mr. Recht responded that he did think that the PG&E property
would be good for this type of business and added that in
general, the Montecito Center's activities do not support a
multiplicity of building materials nor is it a Countywide
setting.
Mayor Mulryan commented that they are generally looking at a
linkage between West Francisco and Downtown and want it to be
retail with building related retail as well.
Commissioner Livingston critized the report's recommended approaches
for policy. He stated that it would be expanding the boundaries of
downtown into the Francisco Boulevard area as well as part of East
San Rafael, and that he is afraid of losing the discretionary dollar,
now called comparison goods shopping.
Mr. Dan Iacofano wrapped up this portion of the meeting by giving a
recap of what was discussed.
Mayor Mulryan then continued the hearing to Wednesday, July 2, 1986.
JEANN M. LEONCINI, City Clerk
APPROVED THIS DAY OF 1986
MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
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