From: Brigid Hoag
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 3:34 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: new 4th Street building
As residents across the street from the proposed new building we are in favor of building new housing. However, we agree with many others who have voiced major concerns about the extreme height and the crazy idea of using Shaver Street as the entrance to the parking. We wonder if anyone looked at Shaver at all.
We sincerely hope the city finds a way to figure this out.
Thank you,
Brigid Hoag and Stewart Kelley
From: Christa Gatewood
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 3:18 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 1414 4th street traffic appeal
Lindsey,
Please pass this onto the City Counsel for tonight's appeal meeting.
I’m so happy the traffic situation for this project was appealed. I have a big concern with having both driveways emptying on Shave will affect the intersections of 4th & Shaver and Shaver at 3rd/2nd. Most cars to get to the highway or West Marin will head South on Shaver towards 3rd street. The block between 3rd & 2nd can only hold 3 cars, it was 4 before the sidewalk corner renovations. Coming out of Gerstle Park, I have been stuck many times for two rounds of that light because I can’t safety drive across the next block with blocking the box. And people traveling on 2nd street can’t turn left onto Shaver because it’s already full, so instead they pull next to the last car. This has happened to me at 11:35AM on a Saturday, which is not the busy time of day for that intersection.
I bring this up because if you most of the cars emptying onto Shaver and trying to get to 2nd street, the cars waiting at Shaver to turn left onto 3rd street, won’t make it through the light.
I have seen this happen many times as well.
Also, I STRONGLY disagree with removing all the parking on Shaver. Not only are you taking parking away from residences, but also from small businesses. Many times we park there to go to Pondsford Place, Mayflower or other businesses near by. Not only would the public be losing the Shaver street parking, but you’d be displacing the overflow parking that currently happening in the West America parking lot. Losing Shaver Street and the WA parking will have a major impact on the West End neighborhood. So to say that it is a “net zero” exchange with parking on E Street is hard to understand.
I really think the safest and best way to address the traffic issue create by the size of this building, is to have the upper lever driveway exit onto E Street & the lower level empty onto Shaver, while keeping some parking on Shaver.
Thanks so much.
Christa Gatewood
Video Editor
From: Candace Yoshida
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 2:21 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 1515 4th St. Proposed apt. Building
I live at and I'm very concerned about the congestion and safety of Shaver Street. I use Shaver daily and now it is a failure to move the cars, trucks from Cains Tires, bicyclists to Davidson and pedestrians safely.
Why in the world is the proposed exit/entrance to this huge (and ugly brown box) placed on Shaver? Now it sometimes takes 2 or 3 stoplights to get across 3rd and 2nd Streets on Shaver.
Please change the car access to E Street.
Candace Yoshida
-----Original Message-----
From: Jen
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 2:49 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 1515 4th street San Rafael
We would like to state that we feel the proposed building at 1515 Fourth street is far too tall for the loca�on. And that the entrance to the garage should NOT be located on Shaver for the sake of safety for drivers and pedestrians.
Regards,
Mr. and Mrs. Chicherio
San Rafael
Sent from my iPhone
-----Original Message-----
From: Leslie Robinet
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 3:58 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 1515 4th St.
Please let this serve as an objec�on to the proposed building at the above referenced loca�on for the following reasons:
-It lacks adequate “low income housing” units…but purports to help sa�sfy the local needs. Less than 10% of the units are designated low income.
-Inadequate parking is being provided. In this modern and costly era, especially in Marin, most adults require employment to sa�sfy household expenses…thus, o�en�mes, requiring more than one car. The exis�ng parking on public streets can not offset this need. -The scope of an 8 story project is overwhelming in an area of lesser storied buildings and will create a sunless area in an otherwise sunlit area.
Please reconsider.
Cheers!
Leslie
-----Original Message-----
From: melinda Filice
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 2:18 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 1515 4th Street
HelloI’m wri�ng out of concern for the new apartment building being proposed at 1515 4th street. I live in Sun Valley and we consider the west end of downtown our local downtown area.
The proposed building is massive in size and scale for this part of San Rafael. It will loom over the small pocket neighborhood on Latham, and shade much of the businesses around it. The amount of cars this will introduce to the surrounding streets and neighborhoods will create a traffic and parking nightmare.
I would ask that San Rafael consider lowering the building by a few stories to be in keeping with the surrounding buildings. This sets a precedent that other massive buildings can be built here. We do need housing, but we can have housing and appropriate scale together.
It would also help if the building could be set back away from the sidewalk and so�ened with landscaping. Overall it’s not an appealing building, and we must strive to keep the architectural language of our main corridor buildings as appealing and beau�ful as possible while achieving func�on. This is not it.
Thank you,
Melinda Filice
Landscape Architect
#6690
Sent from my iPhone
From: mark mcalonan
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 2:30 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: City Of San Rafael Planning Commission
My name is Mark McAlonan and I have been with Cains Tire for 48 years. In that time I have seen endless bike accidents
skate board accidents, vehicle and motorcycle accidents on shaver Street. It's already difficult for two way traffic now.
Cains Tire has about 150 vehicles a day that exit onto Shaver Street. There is no option to that. The new project exits will
stop up Shaver Street for many reasons.
The first is vehicles exiting the building can't back up if someone is entering at the same time. The vehicle that is attempting
to enter will have to back up on Shaver Street creating a danger and a road block and other vehicles on Shaver Street will
also have to back up for that vehicle. Its a chain reaction and domino effect that may involve vehicles all the way to 4th Street.
This creates a danger and road blockage that will seriously raise tempers and we have already seen confrontations between
people out of frustration.
Please do the right thing for the safety of our neighborhood and merchants and not make a bad thing worse. Please change
entrances to E Street.
Thank you, Mark McAlonan
Cains Tire
From: Nick Tuosto
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 3:45 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 1515 4th Street - Appeal to City Council
Dear City Clerk, please submit my letter below to the City Council members. Thank you.
Dear City Council Members:
I have been a resident of San Rafael for over 30 years. I am writing to appeal the recent approval of the proposed
apartment building at 1515 4th Street. While I understand the need for development and growth, I believe that this particular project poses significant concerns regarding increased traffic, safety hazards, and an inappropriate scale for our community, and especially at the West end.
Firstly, the construction of this large apartment building will inevitably increase traffic in our already congested streets. With the addition of numerous tenants and their vehicles, the potential for accidents and safety hazards is greatly amplified. Our narrow roads simply cannot
accommodate the increased flow of traffic, and I fear that the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike will be compromised.
Furthermore, the size and scale of the proposed apartment building is not appropriate for our community. It is
important to maintain the character and integrity of the neighborhood, which is predominantly composed of
single-family homes and small-scale commercial buildings.
The construction of a large, multi-story apartment complex would be jarring and out of place, and would significantly alter the visual and physical landscape of our community.
I strongly urge you to reconsider the approval of this
development and to consider alternative solutions that are more in line with the needs and values of our
neighborhood. I believe that a smaller, more modest
development that is mindful of traffic and safety concerns, as well as the character of our community, would be a
much more appropriate and beneficial addition to our
neighborhood.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Nicholas Tuosto
From: Neal Zimmermann
Sent: Monday, May 8, 2023 2:45 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 1515 Fourth Street Development Plan
Hello/To whom it may concern:
I am a resident living at San Rafael, near the corner of Forbes in the West End of San Rafael. I have owned my home since 1994.
I am writing to voice my opposition to the planned building at 1515 Fourth St.
I do not think that the height fits into the character of the neighborhood. It would dwarf all other buildings in a 1-2 block radius and would undermine the approachable friendly quality of the neighborhood.
I am highly concerned that the number of parking spaces allotted to the building vs. the number of units will result in over 100 additional cars needing street parking, there is already very little street parking in that area. It is naïve and irresponsible to think that each unit of this building would house a one-car family.
A 3-4 story building would be more in keeping with the neighborhood and would still provide additional housing in the area.
Thanks,
Neal
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Neal Zimmermann
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