City Hall and all non-safety services will be closed to the public but available for appointments upon request from Monday, December 22, 2025, through Friday, January 2, 2026.
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The San Rafael Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider a proposed new residential development at 700 Irwin St, located at the on the southeast corner of Irwin Street and 2nd Street. Date: January 13, 2025 Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: City Council Chambers, City Hall, 1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901 The agenda will be posted no...
On Monday, December 15, 2025, the San Rafael City Council voted to renew annual assessments for the Downtown San Rafael Business Improvement District (BID), appointed the BID Advisory Board for calendar year 2026, and approved a management contract with the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce. Together, these three actions are intended to strengthen the district’s...
The Economic Development Subcommittee met for it’s quarterly meeting on December 10, 2025. Sales Tax was the primary agenda topic, addressing Goal F.3.2 of the City’s adopted Three Year Strategic Plan FY 2025- 2028. Ken Nordhoff, representative from HdL Companies and former San Rafael City Manager, presented an overview of San Rafael’s sales tax revenue. Mr. Nordhoff assessed...
On December 9, 2025, the San Rafael Planning Commission approved a proposal to build new housing at 25 Loch Lomond Drive, located at the northwest corner of Loch Lomond Drive and Point San Pedro Road, adjacent to the Village at Loch Lomond Marina Development Project. The proposal utilizes the State Density Bonus law to gain...
On November 18, 2025, the San Rafael Planning Commission approved a proposal to build new housing at 1248 Fifth Avenue (1230 Fifth Avenue Project), located at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and C Street. This development is a California Senate Bill (SB) 330 (2019) and State Density Bonus project. About the Project The project includes:...
The 2025 Triennial Edition of the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) goes into effect on January 1, 2026. For questions or more information, please contact building@cityofsanrafael.org. Submittal Deadlines The building code in effect at the time a complete building permit application is submitted will apply to the project for its entire duration. Due to...
Today, the City of San Rafael, in partnership with the Trust for Public Land (TPL), the County of Marin, Marin Community Foundation, and Canal Alliance, announced the successful acquisition of the 1.65-acre former boatyard property at 620 Canal Street – the first step in advancing development of a waterfront park and community gateway designed to...
The San Rafael Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider a proposed new residential development at 1248 Fifth Avenue (1230 Fifth Avenue Project), located at the on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and C Street. Date: November 18, 2025 Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: City Council Chambers, City Hall, 1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901 Project Overview ...
On Monday November 3, 2025 the San Rafael City Council approved the final reading of an ordinance to establish a mobile vending permit program in San Rafael. The program centers around a three-prong approach of (i) strengthening the City’s enforcement tools, (ii) providing multiple paths to legalization, and (iii) supporting local entrepreneurship. The program includes...
Demolition work began this week at 930 Irwin Street in preparation for the construction of a new 210-unit multifamily development. Approved last spring, the project marks a significant step forward in expanding local housing options in San Rafael. Demolition is expected to be completed by the end of the calendar year, with staff from the...
On November 6, the City of San Rafael and County of Marin will co-host a community information session about the 350 Merrydale Interim Shelter Project at the Hoytt Theater inside the Osher Marin JCC. Community members are invited to drop in, learn more, and speak directly with the subject matter experts working on the...
The City of San Rafael has issued a demolition permit in preparation for the construction of a new eight-story, 210-unit residential building at 930 Irwin Street. In addition to the residential units, the development will feature ground-floor amenities for residents and a garage with 232 parking spaces. The multifamily project also includes 18 affordable units...
On Monday August 25th demolition began in preparation for a new 119-unit residential development located at the gateway to downtown San Rafael at 703 3rd St. The project’s demolition phase is anticipated to last four weeks, during which time some intermittent sidewalk and road closures may occur. What to Expect During Demolition: Work Hours: Monday...
On Friday August 22, Aegis Senior Living San Rafael officially opened its doors, introducing 101 new studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom residences in the heart of downtown. The Mission-style building, which was designed to echo San Rafael’s historic architecture transforms a site that had been vacant for years. When fully occupied, Aegis will welcome over 100...
Friday Night – The City of San Rafael's Code Enforcement Division, Police Department and Marin County EHS conducted a joint code enforcement effort on Friday, July 11, starting at about 6:15 pm and concluding about 9:15 pm. 13 unpermitted food vendors were contacted EHS confiscated about 500 lbs of food SRPD wrote a couple parking...
The City of San Rafael’s Community and Economic Development (CED) Department is issuing this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify qualified consultants to provide the following on-call services: Plan Check Review; and Building Inspections. Respondents may choose to provide services in one or both areas. Respondents for plan check review should demonstrate a capacity to...
Planning Commission Approves New Housing at 930 Irwin Street On May 13, 2025, the San Rafael Planning Commission approved a proposal to build new housing at 930 Irwin Street, at the corner of 4th Street and Irwin Street. The Planning Commission found the project to be consistent with the City’s Downtown Precise Plan, Zoning Ordinance,...
A proposal to build 200 new affordable homes at 555 Northgate Dr. has been resubmitted to the City of San Rafael on April 2, 2024. Following an initial determination that the application was incomplete in fall 2023, the developer resubmitted the application on April 2, 2024. City staff have completed their second review of the...
Public Hearing Notice for 930 Irwin Street NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE SAN RAFAEL PLANNING COMMISSION Date: May 13, 2025 Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: City Council Chambers, City Hall, 1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901 The San Rafael Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider a proposed new residential development at...
Northgate Town Square redevelopment project has officially received the green light from the San Rafael City Council after the approval of key land entitlements, marking a major milestone for the City’s ongoing efforts to revitalize the Northgate area. This significant development is expected to transform the former mall location into a pedestrian friendly hub with...
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL On December 2, 2024 the City Council will hold public hearing to consider and possibly take an action on (1) A Resolution of the City of San Rafael City Council certifying an Environmental Impact Report, ( 2) An ordinance of the City of San...
Northgate Town Square Schedule Update: At the September 24th Study Session, staff presented a tentative public hearing schedule showing November 18th as the first City Council hearing. That date has since been updated. A hearing on the first reading of the rezoning Ordinance and all other entitlements is now planned to be held on December 2nd...
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE SAN RAFAEL PLANNING COMMISSION On October 29, 2024, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider and make a recommendation to the City Council about [1] whether to adopt the Final Environmental Impact Report for the comprehensive redevelopment of the existing Northgate Mall at 5800 Northgate...
Northgate Town Square Environmental Impact Report Update Final Environmental Impact Report is available today! The Northgate Final Environmental Impact Report was released today, October 18, 2024. It can be found here. Background: The Final EIR document has been prepared to respond to comments received on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the...
In collaboration with the County of Marin Health and San Rafael Police, City Code Enforcement staff have conducted food vending enforcement operations throughout the City over the past several weeks. For vendors who persist in non-compliance, continued coordination with the County and escalation of penalties will occur. During recent operations, multiple vendors have been engaged,...
Since the last incompleteness determination was made, the applicant submitted additional information to staff and withdrew their request for a density bonus. At that point, staff was able to determine that the project is now complete pursuant to the Permit Streamlining Act and the applicant withdrew their appeal of the staff determination that the project...
On September 24, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. the Planning Commission will hold a study session to discuss the comprehensive redevelopment of the existing Northgate Mall at 5800 Northgate Drive into a new, phased mixed-use development with approximately 217,520 square feet of commercial uses and 1,422 residential units on the 44.76-acre site. No decision will be...
Merlone Geier, owner and developer of Northgate Mall, is welcoming the community to review the redevelopment plan. This is a great opportunity to meet the development team and ask questions about the project. Representatives from the City will also be in attendance. Details can be found below. Date: Monday, August 26, 2024 Time: 6-8pm Location:...
The Dominican Residential Project was resubmitted to the City of San Rafael on July 25, 2024. The project is currently under review by city staff. Please check the Project Page for more information on the Development Application Submittal Materials.
Important Updates for the Northgate Town Square Project! Dear San Rafael Community, On June 4th, Merlone Geier Partners (MGP), owner and developer of Northgate Mall, submitted revised plans for the Northgate Town Square Project to the City. Several revisions respond to the comments and feedback from San Rafael’s Design Review Board and community over the...
