Plans have been filed for yet another Safeway-to-housing proposal, this time in Marin County. The eight-story proposal, first reported by Richard Halstead for the Marin Independent Journal, aims to create over three hundred residential units at 700 B Street in Downtown San Rafael, but does not include a replacement grocery store. Mill Creek Residential is the project developer.
The 85-foot-tall structure is expected to yield just over half a million square feet, including 376,750 square feet of housing and 133,220 square feet for the two-story podium garage. Unit types will vary with 130 one-bedrooms, 136 two-bedrooms, and 65 three-bedrooms. Parking will be provided for 394 cars and 597 bicycles.
700 B Street floor plates, illustration by SDT Architects
Of the 331 units, 28 would be deed-restricted as affordable to low-income households. This allows the project to apply a 20% density bonus, with waivers and one zoning concession via the State Density Bonus law. The requested waivers pertain to the height limit, front- and side-street setbacks, and open space. The application also invokes Senate Bill 330 to streamline the approval process.
SDT Architects is responsible for the design. Illustrations show a familiar contemporary podium-style apartment building, including two third-floor courtyards wrapped around the E-shaped residential floor plates. Additional open space will be captured on the eighth floor. The ground floor will include a lobby with amenity space and bicycle parking.
The recent pre-application for 700 B Street is now the seventh proposal in less than a year to replace a Safeway-associated property with housing. However, it is the first application that involves a property not owned by Albertsons and is not part of the six-project joint portfolio with Albertsons and Align Real Estate. San Diego-based Niki Group is listed as the property owner.
700 B Street, image via Google Satellite
The two-acre property occupied a large area bound by A Street, B Street, 1st Avenue, and the adjacent San Rafael Community Center. The grocery store is the closest food option to the city center, with a Sprouts Farmers Market location 10 minutes east on foot, in a commercial neighborhood near US 101.
The estimated cost and timeline for construction have not yet been shared.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
If corporate landowners like McDonalds or Best Buy etc (no idea who rents and who owns) can follow along to Safeway’s process, it would be a huge win for YIMBYs. Rather than these one-off projects, the landowner + developer can get into a rhythm and do lots of projects in a row. Better economies of scale, less training, more momentum.
I would be completely fine in suburban areas with a ground floor full of retail, perhaps mixing 1-2 big box stores with smaller retail, the second and third levels being dedicated to parking for both shoppers and residents, and floors 4-8 being dedicated to residential. There would be more shopper parking, more housing, and overall huge win.