Residents reject Loch Lomond project proposal
 
Tad Whitaker
Marin Independent Journal
March 24, 2006
 
Loch Lomond residents made it clear this week: They can't stand a proposal to redevelop the San Rafael marina.
  
More than 100 people attended Tuesday's Design Review Board meeting, the first since an environmental impact report was released in February for the residential-commercial project. Although the report concluded the proposal won't cause any major environmental, traffic, aesthetic or flooding problem, residents picked apart each of those assertions.   
   
"Do something for everyone, not just the developer," said 15-year resident Pat Jordan.   
No action was taken during the meeting, and the board will discuss the project's design at its next meeting at 7 p.m. April 4. Public comment on the report will be taken until April 11, when the Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a formal hearing.   
   
San Rafael Marin LLC filed an application in February 2004 for a two-phase development of the site.   
   
The plan calls for 66 market-rate and 18 affordable housing units; 21,785 square feet of new retail and office space, including a restaurant; and replacing the Loch Lomond Market with a smaller grocery store.   
   
The project would retain the 517-berth marina, yacht club and boat maintenance buildings, reduce the number of dry-boat storage spaces from 275 to 38, renovate the grounds to include a kayak launch, trail system and boardwalk, and reduce the number of parking spaces from 640 to 606.  
   
Although the city discourages any wetlands infill, developers want to fill in 900 square feet of wetlands in one area and expand other wetlands by up to 9,000 square feet.   
   
After more than two hours of commentary, all six design board members expressed their initial reactions to the plan without coming out in favor of or opposing the project.   
   
They disagreed with each other on many aspects, such as whether alleys are a good idea. But common complaints included placing office space on the second floor of the commercial space rather than housing, not including enough food service in the scaled-down market, and what one board member described as "ho-hum" architecture.  
   
"I think it looks like a lot of what we've seen in San Rafael," said member Bob Huntsberry, an architect.