Six Sites Added to List of Possible Affordable Housing Possibilities

Now that the Novato City Council has heard directly from its constituents about proposed sites for affordable housing complexes around the city, the council has elected to add six more possibilities to ponder at a July 14 meeting.

One of them is the site of the . One possibility brought up is that affordable housing could be built on top of the station.

Dave Wallace, the city’s director of community development, said the council could consider the six new sites as well as the eight previously identified “or any combination thereof” to meet the state-mandated requirements of the city’s general plan update.

Here is the new list with the county assessor’s parcel number in parentheses (for the list of eight sites previously identified, click ).

7506 and 7530 Redwood Boulevard, near the northeast corner of Redwood and Olive, to the east and north of Trader Joe's (APNs 143-011-08 and 143-011-05). These sites initially were discussed by the City Manager’s Housing Ad Hoc Working Group but then taken off its list before it was presented to city staff earlier this month. Some in the group thought these sites should be reserved for commercial use.

A 39.9-acre parcel approximately 900 feet north of the intersection of Wood Hollow Drive and Redwood Boulevard (APN 125-202-18). This is north of a previously identified sight right at the corner of Wood Hollow and Redwood. You’ve seen cattle grazing on this undeveloped property between Fireman’s Fund Insurance and the old Birkenstock building. The property owner told the city he is willing to talk about development there.

The Buck Institute housing site on the eastern slope of Mount Burdell (APN 125-580-11). This is down Buck Center Drive from the laboratory, just above where the cattle graze along Redwood Boulevard. There are plans for 130 units there already, but some could become affordable units to meet the city’s mandates.

8171 Redwood Blvd., site of the former Birkenstock business (APN 125-18-45). This is a 99-acre site adjacent to Highway 101 north of downtown, but only a portion of it is thought to be an option for housing.

1905 Novato Boulevard, partially occupied by Lifelong Medical Care (APN 140-011-66). This is right next to a property already on the working group’s list at the corner of McClay Road and Novato Boulevard.

909 Machin Ave., the site of Novato Police Station (APN 153-061-28). If a structural analysis were done on the station, housing units could be suitable above the existing offices.

The July 14 meeting will be a continuation of the June 21 meeting draw a huge crowd to Novato City Hall as the council discussed eight sites proposed by a volunteer group that spent eight months studying sites around the city. The purpose of the meetings is to complete a required housing element of the Novato general plan, which by law must include sites that could potentially serve as housing as the city’s population grows.

The ad hoc working group recommended a density of 22 units per acre on the eight proposed sites, short of what state and regional housing authorities would like but above the “we can get away with it” mark of 20 units per acre. Wallace said it would be up to the council to decide if 22 units will be used to calculate how many units will be accommodated at each site. In all, Novato needs to identify locations for 200 housing units.