Marin IJ
June 19, 2007

Controversial Loch Lomond project aired
by Jennifer Upshaw

Champions of an improved marina project lined up with opponents who fear an ill-planned housing development Monday to sound off before the San Rafael City Council on Loch Lomond Marina.

Monday's public hearing, which ended shortly before midnight, is expected to be the last as the City Council prepares to decide on the two-year-old project that has been a lightning rod on the city's east end.

If approved, the Village at Loch Lomond Marina will house 81 residential units, 22,250 square feet of commercial space, a new full-service grocery store and a shoreline park. The boat marina will remain, without dry-dock boat storage.

The council will gather again July 16 to discuss the project, and could take a final vote that night.

In the meantime, the city staff will work to fulfill between 40 and 50 requests from the council for more information, including information on a second entrance for the residential area, updated visual simulations of the revised project and more on traffic plans for the commercial and marina areas.

The newest version of the plan has passed muster with the Planning Commission, which recommended approval May 8. Commissioners told developer Thompson Dorfman Partners of Sausalito to redesign the project to adhere to a 50-foot wetlands setback and lower the roof lines of houses along the marina.

Although many revisions have been made, residents say they are still worried about building density, height and mass, traffic and safety, parking, wetland preservation, losing their views and whether the development fits in with the neighborhood.

Neighboring homeowners' groups have different points of view on the project.

"We think the development has the potential of adding a great deal of value to our homes," said Mike Nelson, president of the San Pedro Cove Homeowners Association, who presented a slide show Monday night featuring what he looks at while jogging - a rundown marina featuring junked boats and Dumpsters.

"Right now, it needs improvement," he said. "It's not a perfect plan, but we think it's a good compromise for a lot of diverse groups."

Sara Jensen of the Loch Lomond Homeowners Association said her group has a number of unresolved concerns with the latest scheme, such as traffic, views, parking and "how the site plan fits into its environment - the neighborhood."

"We depend on you to look at this very, very carefully, to look for solutions to our problems and make this a wonderful development," she told the council.

After more than an hour of staff and developer comments, and time for homeowners groups to speak, some said they were frustrated it took so long for the public to get its turn.

"Their public meeting procedure is broken," said Terra Linda resident and one-time mayoral candidate Kyle Keilman, who spoke at the meeting about his concerns that new housing could step up competition for drinking water in the area.

"I hope the people of San Rafael will take note of how these people are operating."