How Terra Linda Will Change as a Priority Development Area
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| Civic Center will change from suburban low rise to 5 story urban mid-rise |
The Civic Center PDA places multiple 5-story mixed use residential buildings with ground floor commercial either side of highway 101. The Station Area Plan calls for 620 new housing units. The above image is an architects impression of how this might look.
Here is the likely impact:
Traffic:
- 1,000+ cars will be added to 101
- freeway interchanges will be flooded with more traffic pushing them beyond capacity unless substantial new funding can be found for highway enhancements.
- Plan Bay Area offers 50%+ of $10m divided between 5+ other Priority Development Areas in Marin for each 4 year period for development, this might double in the next 4 year period. There are other demands on this funding.
- The cost of enhancing Freitas 101 interchange alone to handle the traffic from 620 new high density houses is $14m (this figure is likely obsolete, a more accurate figure would be higher). Other roads and interchanges would need to be enhanced. Plan Bay Area makes no guarantees or commitments that any funding will be provided.
- surface streets, already coping with 4 x hourly SMART train crossing closures will become more congested
-parking will flood onto McInnis Parkway and into adjacent neighborhoods
- if developments are built by a non-profit, then the new affordable low income residents are largely tax exempt based on the
Welfare Exemption.
Important: The exact split of the new buildings between market rate, affordable, low income and whether they are built by a non profit is unclear. Consider though the experience of Marinwood Plaza. Initially residents were told plans were for 20% of units to be low income, after a series of community meetings (ostensibly to achieve community support, but it is unclear that this was achieved) the plan was switched to 90%+ low income. There is considerable pressure to develop low income and affordable units from non profit developers, ABAG (via RHNA numbers) and social equity advocates.
- new classrooms ($400,000+) and potentially schools ($50,000,000+) may be needed
- the burden will be placed on existing taxpayers – you
- your property taxes could go up by hundreds of dollars. Exact amounts remain undisclosed. Consider that based on the welfare exemption each unit of the 61 non-profit developed low income Pilgrim Park apartments in San Rafael contributes $4.90 into the high school district annually. Meanwhile the owner of a $690,000 three bedroom home assessed at $232,522 (assessed value limited by prop 13) bought in 1979 contributes $548.93 – over 100 times that to the high school district.
- if taxes are not raised then the quality of your children’s school will be reduced, single family home values are sensitive to changes in school quality
- Marin Municipal Water District has only planned to add capacity for 271 new multi-family units for the entire county of Marin between 2015 and 2035 (Source: Marin Municipal Water District 2010 Urban Water Management Plan , see tables with forecasts starting on page 22)
- Between 2015 and 2035 the water district assume that each single family home will have 5.7% less water delivered annually, and multi family homes will have 9% less water delivered. Considerable belt tightening is planned already even before substantial amounts of high density housing is added.
- Marinwood is already adding 82 units, multiple other affordable housing developments are already planned county-wide adding over 1,000 new housing units requiring water hook ups
- Civic Center will add 620 new housing units
Result: More frequent water rationing. During rationing if you use the same amount of water as you do now your water bill could go from $100 to $500 in a month.
The station area plan proposes that these offices be rezoned to 5 storys high density residential with ground floor retail. Again this is an example of how the buildings might look.
At this meeting the city council will be deciding on the future of the Terra Linda / Civic Center Priority Development Area and the associated 5 story development proposed by the Station Area Plan.
- freeway interchanges will be flooded with more traffic pushing them beyond capacity unless substantial new funding can be found for highway enhancements.
- Plan Bay Area offers 50%+ of $10m divided between 5+ other Priority Development Areas in Marin for each 4 year period for development, this might double in the next 4 year period. There are other demands on this funding.
- The cost of enhancing Freitas 101 interchange alone to handle the traffic from 620 new high density houses is $14m (this figure is likely obsolete, a more accurate figure would be higher). Other roads and interchanges would need to be enhanced. Plan Bay Area makes no guarantees or commitments that any funding will be provided.
- surface streets, already coping with 4 x hourly SMART train crossing closures will become more congested
-parking will flood onto McInnis Parkway and into adjacent neighborhoods
Schools:
- 1,100+ more school students (Bridge Housing estimates 1.8 students per unit)- if developments are built by a non-profit, then the new affordable low income residents are largely tax exempt based on the
Welfare Exemption.
Important: The exact split of the new buildings between market rate, affordable, low income and whether they are built by a non profit is unclear. Consider though the experience of Marinwood Plaza. Initially residents were told plans were for 20% of units to be low income, after a series of community meetings (ostensibly to achieve community support, but it is unclear that this was achieved) the plan was switched to 90%+ low income. There is considerable pressure to develop low income and affordable units from non profit developers, ABAG (via RHNA numbers) and social equity advocates.
- new classrooms ($400,000+) and potentially schools ($50,000,000+) may be needed
- the burden will be placed on existing taxpayers – you
- your property taxes could go up by hundreds of dollars. Exact amounts remain undisclosed. Consider that based on the welfare exemption each unit of the 61 non-profit developed low income Pilgrim Park apartments in San Rafael contributes $4.90 into the high school district annually. Meanwhile the owner of a $690,000 three bedroom home assessed at $232,522 (assessed value limited by prop 13) bought in 1979 contributes $548.93 – over 100 times that to the high school district.
- if taxes are not raised then the quality of your children’s school will be reduced, single family home values are sensitive to changes in school quality
Water:
- we are already in a drought- Marin Municipal Water District has only planned to add capacity for 271 new multi-family units for the entire county of Marin between 2015 and 2035 (Source: Marin Municipal Water District 2010 Urban Water Management Plan , see tables with forecasts starting on page 22)
- Between 2015 and 2035 the water district assume that each single family home will have 5.7% less water delivered annually, and multi family homes will have 9% less water delivered. Considerable belt tightening is planned already even before substantial amounts of high density housing is added.
- Marinwood is already adding 82 units, multiple other affordable housing developments are already planned county-wide adding over 1,000 new housing units requiring water hook ups
- Civic Center will add 620 new housing units
Result: More frequent water rationing. During rationing if you use the same amount of water as you do now your water bill could go from $100 to $500 in a month.
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| 1 Mcinnis Parkway taken from the Christmas tree lot. |
What Can You Do?
Attend the San Rafael City Council meeting:
Monday September 16th at City Hall at 7 pm.
1,400 5th Ave, San Rafael.
At this meeting the city council will be deciding on the future of the Terra Linda / Civic Center Priority Development Area and the associated 5 story development proposed by the Station Area Plan.
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