Developer Looks to Re-Zone 'San Marin Business Park' for Residential Use

Partridge Knolls II residents have been given notice that a developer who owns nearby property has applied to the city of Novato to have 46 acres re-zoned for medium and high-density residential homes.

Campus Management has submitted an application to the city requesting a General Plan Amendment for the property that is located on the west side of Redwood Boulevard between Wood Hollow Drive and Black John Road, north of Firemans Fund and below the Buck Institute. 

The six parcels owned by the developer are commonly referred to as the “San Marin Business Park.” The property is currently zoned Business & Professional Office (BPO) and Light Industrial/Office (LIO).

According to the notice, the proposal would designate 16 acres of land as Medium Density Multiple Family Residential with a density of 10-20 dwelling units per acre.

Nearly nine acres would be assigned High Density Multiple Family Residential with a density range of 20-30 units per acre.

A remaining 21 acres would be assigned a “conservation” designation with a density range of one unit per 10-60 acres.

“The city requires the applicant to conduct a neighborhood meeting to provide an opportunity for nearby residents to learn about the given project and provide early feedback,” said Stephen Marshall, a city senior planner, in an email.

Marshall also stressed that this application is separate from the four-acre portion of Campus Management’s property near Black John Road that has been identified as a potential affordable housing site for 80 units on the city’s housing element plan submitted to the state and still pending certification.

The amendment to the General Plan is a request being made by the developer on the entire acreage but there is no specific residential project proposed at this time, said Marshall.

“Basically, Campus Management wants to position its properties so they can be developed with residential uses in the future, with the specifics (building location, height, parking, etc.) of a residential development project(s) coming at a later time,” Marshall added.

City officials insist that while the Housing Element Plan and the re-zone application deal with some of the same property, the proposals are distinct from one another.

“These are two separate actions,” said the city’s planning manager, Elizabeth Dunn.

A meeting for neighboring homeowners to hear details about the proposed amendment is being held on Thursday, March 21 at Novato City Hall from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Calls to Campus Management for comment were not returned.

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