Civic Center SMART Design Raises Concerns Over Building Height, Housing Density

{What do you think about the proposed height and housing density? Tell us below and vote in our poll.}

North San Rafael neighbors are heading to the City Council at the end of August to oppose building heights and housing density plans for the development of land around the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit Civic Center station.

Building heights for residential and mixed-use housing near , the Redwood Highway and east of US-101 could increase to five stories, according to the Civic Center Station Area Plan, a community vision for land within a one-half mile radius of the planned Civic Center station which is funded by the Association of Bay Governments and is part of the San Rafael planning process. The height coupled with a proposed increase of 44 housing units per acre has some residents worried that the development will clash with existing community of low-rise single-family homes.

"This housing is out of character with the area," said Richard Hall, who lives in the Vista Marin neighborhood near where the station will be built.

Hall and other homeowners in the area recently formed a coalition called Quiet & Safe San Rafael to oppose the height and housing requirements and address other concerns, such as quiet zones, traffic and the environmental impacts on the nearby open space.

{Want to stay in the loop about the SMART quiet zones, traffic studies and more? Sign up for our newsletter or become a fan on Facebook.}

Hall decided to form the coalition after a July 25 public meeting on plan, where he said many residents believe their feedback was ignored by the Citizen Advisory Committee overseeing the design.

“This recommended plan's inclusion of five-story, high-density buildings is being presented as if residents are in support of the plan when nothing could be further from the truth," he said.

The coalition is currently circulating a petition asking for a revision of the plan. As of Aug. 8, 120 signatures were collected.

Many challengers believe the added housing density will increase traffic in the area and make conditions more dangerous for bicyclists and drivers.

"I live a block away from the Civic Center. North San Pedro Road and Civic Center Drive are busy enough as it is without adding more housing projects up the road," Stella Pereira wrote in support of the petition.

Vista Marin neighbor Jonathan Artz frequently runs on the roads and trails through the area and said that added traffic from the housing could put bicyclists and runners in danger. He also believes that the density and height suggestions contradict the rural landscape Frank Lloyd Wright envisioned when building the Marin Civic Center.

"People come out from all over the place to see the Civic Center," he said. "This development will change the whole area."

After two years of meetings to develop the Civic Center's station plan, Citizen Advisory Committee member Jeff Shopert was surprised to hear that community members felt like their feedback was ignored.

"I have no doubt there are people who disagree with the plan. But I don't know on what this feeling of being ignored is based," he said.

The density increase was intended to pave the way for more affordable housing units in San Rafael and the five-story height proposal is meant for mixed-use residences zoned for new retail stores and businesses to move in on their ground floor.

"I support affordable housing," Hall said, "but this is not the right place for it."

Opponents will be attending the Aug. 20 City Council meeting to present their concerns.

“We look to the city council as our elected leaders, to hear our concerns, and incorporate them in a meaningful way,” Hall said. “That’s simply not happening, and the results could be devastating for our communities.”

"Like" us on Facebook | Follow us Twitter | Get "Patched" in with our newsletter | Start a blog