LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN Public Review Draft
Transcription
LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN Public Review Draft
LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN Public Review Draft March 2014 draft ii CITY OF LARKSPUR Table of Contents Introduction Access, Circulation and Parking Project Background 1.1 Planning Process1.2 Area Context1.4 Community Outreach and Participation1.8 Integrated Land Use / Transportation Strategy5.2 Complete Streets 5.4 Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation 5.12 Transit Service 5.18 Parking Management5.18 Transportation Demand Management Program5.22 Access, Circulation and Parking Policy Recommendations5.24 Existing Conditions Land Use Context2.2 Transportation, Circulation & Parking2.16 Regulatory Context2.31 Utilities and Infrastructure2.43 Area Demographics and Market Demand2.48 Vision Background3.2 Initial Plan Concepts3.4 Community Feedback on Land Use Alternatives and Circulation Framework3.9 Conclusions3.10 Vision for the SMART Station Area3.11 Land Use Integrated Land Use / Transportation Strategy4.2 Priority Development Sites and Preferred Uses4.2 Illustrative Development Plan4.6 Land Use Designations4.9 Land Use Plan4.11 Land Use Policy Recommendations4.12 Urban Design Guidelines Guiding Principles6.2 Urban Design Zones 6.2 Building and Site Design 6.8 Public Environment6.20 Public Facilities and Services Utility Infrastructure7.2 Schools7.4 Public Services7.4 Implementation Next Steps8.2 Regulatory Actions8.4 Implementation Action Plan8.5 Funding Strategy8.8 Appendices Appendix 1: Financing Models and Funding SourcesA.2 Appendix 2: Affordable Housing and Anti-Displacement StrategyA.6 LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN | February 2014 iii List of figures Figure 1.1: Station Area1.3 Figure 1.2: Larkspur’s Geographic Context1.4 Figure 1.3: Station Area Zones1.5 Figure 1.4: Historic Landmarks1.7 Figure 2.1: Existing Land Use2.3 Figure 2.2: Station Area Parkland and Open Space2.9 Figure 2.3: Property Ownership2.10 Figure 2.4: Station Area Development Patterns2.11 Figure 2.5: Major Roadways2.17 Figure 2.6: Existing and Currently Planned Bicycle Facilities2.22 Figure 2.7: Existing and Currently Planned Pedestrian Facilities2.24 Figure 2.8: Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Gaps2.25 Figure 2.9: Weekday Parking Demand2.26 Figure 2.10:Central Marin Ferry Connection Multi-Use Pathway Project 2.29 Figure 2.11:General Plan Land Use Map2.32 Figure 2.12:Zoning Districts2.35 Figure 2.13:100-Year Flood Zone2.45 Figure 2.14:Shoreline Areas Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise2.47 Figure 3.1: Opportunity Sites3.4 Figure 3.2: Land Use Alternative 13.5 Figure 3.3: Land Use Alternative 23.6 Figure 3.4: Land Use Alternative 33.7 Figure 4.1: Priority Development Sites4.2 Figure 4.2: Illustrative Development Plan - Maximum Site Buildout4.7 Figure 4.3: Proposed Land Use Plan4.10 Figure 5.1: Circulation Network5.5 Figure 5.2: Larkspur Landing Circle Intersection Improvements5.6 draft iv CITY OF LARKSPUR Figure 5.3: Figure 5.4: Figure 5.5: Figure 5.6: Figure 5.7: Figure 5.8: Figure 5.9: Figure 6.1: Figure 6.2: Figure 6.3: Figure 6.4: Figure 6.5: Figure 6.6: Figure 6.7: Figure 6.8: Figure 6.9: Figure 7.1: Existing and Proposed Section of Larkspur Landing Circle at Serenity5.8 Existing and Proposed Redwood Highway Section5.9 Section of Typical Internal Neighborhood Lane with On-Street Parking5.10 Section of Typical Pedestrian Pathway5.11 Existing and Proposed Pedestrian Facilities5.13 Existing and Proposed Bicycle Facilities5.14 Priority Accessible Paths of Travel5.16 Design Zones6.2 Existing and Proposed Development Pattern6.9 Area Elevations Above Sea Level6.11 Allowable Building Heights6.13 Illustrative Cross-sections through the Larkspur Ferry Terminal Site and Wood Island6.14 Illustrative Cross Section through the Larkspur Ferry Terminal Site with a Two-story Residential Structure 6.15 Marin Country Mart Promenade Location6.25 Ferry Terminal Plaza Location6.27 Public Park and Open Space Improvements6.29 School Districts and Locations7.5 List of tables Table 2.1: Existing Land Use in the Station Area 2.2 Table 2.2: Commute Mode Characteristics 2.16 Table 2.3: Existing Public Transit Daily Ridership in Station area2.20 Table 2.4 : Zoning Code Standards2.36 Table 3.1: MTC Place Types3.3 Table 4.1: Illustrative Maximum Development Potential4.8 Table 4.2: Potential Maximum Residential Station Area Development by Sub-Area4.8 Table 5.1: Existing Parking Demand Rates5.19 Table 5.2: City of Larkspur and Station Area Plan Off-Street Parking Requirements5.20 Table 5.3: Proposed Parking Rates5.20 Table 5.4: Station Area Plan Bicycle Parking Requirements5.21 Table 8.1: Implementation Action Plan8.6 LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN | February 2014 v Key Participants Planning Commission City of Larkspur Staff Richard Young Jeff Stahl (alternate) Neal Toft, Director of Planning and Building Julia Capasso, Assistant Planner Hamid Shamsapour, Director of Public Works Dick Whitley, Director of Recreation Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) Residents, Business and Property Owners Gail Bloom Ari Blum John Browne David Esposito Michael Folk Bruce Friedricks James Holmes Michael Hooper Randy Kokke James Moore Virginia Moore (alternate) Nancy Nakai Joakim Osthus Jared Polsky Robert Shores David Sternberg Nancy Weninger Library Board Don Graff Dave Kanter (alternate) draft vi CITY OF LARKSPUR Heritage Preservation Board Helen Heitkamp City Council Brad Marsh Dan Hillmer (alternate) Parks and Recreation Commission Bob Matteo Jeanne Friedel (alternate) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) In addition to City staff listed above: Lindy Lowe (interim), Bay Conservation & Development Commission (BCDC) Norma Jellison, Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District (GGBHTD) Carey Lando, County of Marin Suzanne Loosen, Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) Linda Meckel, Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit (SMART) John Nemeth, Sonoma-Marin Rail Transit (SMART) Ian Peterson, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Mark Shorett, Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Therese Trivedi, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Amy Van Doren, Marin Transit Josh Widmann, Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District (GGBHTD) Consultant Team Land Use and Urban Design BMS Design Group Barbara Maloney Beth Foster Joy Glasier Tim Honeck Transportation Planning and Parking Fehr & Peers Bob Grandy Matt Goyne Parisi Associates Transportation Planning David Parisi Ofelia Guner Real Estate and Market Analysis BAE Janet Smith-Heimer Paul Peninger Stephanie Hagar Civil Engineering and Cost Estimating BKF Dan Schaefer Eric Girod Meghan Cronin LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN | February 2014 vii 1 Introduction Project Background The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is a passenger train and multi-use pathway project that will extend 70 miles from Cloverdale in Sonoma County to Larkspur, Marin County. SMART will utilize an existing but long-dormant rail corridor formerly used by the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP). The SMART corridor generally parallels U.S. Highway 101 through Sonoma and Marin Counties, and will serve 14 stations when completed. The first phase of the SMART project, expected to be operational by 2015 or 2016, will connect Railroad Square in Santa Rosa with Downtown San Rafael. Service from Santa Rosa north to Cloverdale, and from San Rafael south to Larkspur will be extended as SMART receives additional funding. The Larkspur station is planned to be located in the Larkspur Landing area, adjacent to Highway 101 and the CalPark Tunnel multi-use path. Through the General Plan update process initiated in 2010, City officials and the General Plan Update Citizen Advisory Committee had identified the Larkspur Landing and Redwood Highway neighborhoods as having potential for future land use changes, due to its proximity to regional transit, the planned SMART station, and the CalPark Tunnel multi-use path. Future study of those neighborhoods was recommended to evaluate the potential and feasibility of land use changes, particularly in regards to circulation impacts and vulnerability to flooding and sea level rise. That same year, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) announced the availability of grant funding for jurisdictions in the Bay Area with transit stations planned or under construction to conduct land use and circulation studies of the area extending a half-mile radius from the planned or built transit station—the “station area”(see Figure 1.1). The City of Larkspur applied for a station area planning grant of $480,000 in January 2011 to fund land use and circulation studies of the Larkspur Landing area and a LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN | February 2014 1.1 1 | Introduction portion of Greenbrae area. The City obtained matching grant funds totaling $120,000 from partner agencies, including the Transportation Authority of Marin, the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, the County of Marin, and the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District, and from the City itself. The funding partner agencies, all with direct interest in the station area, supported inclusion of the Redwood Highway area in the planning process, though it extends beyond the half-mile radius from the station, due to the interrelationship between circulation and land use between the three sub-areas. In applying for the station area planning grant, the City Council confirmed the City’s commitment to the grant program’s goals, which are to: • Boost transit ridership and reduce vehicle miles traveled. • Increase walking, bicycling, carpooling, carsharing, local transit and other transportation options for people in the area. • Increase the housing supply, particularly affordable housing near station areas. • Locate key services and retail opportunities near station areas. The City Council also identified the City’s priorities and desired outcomes1 for the station area planning process: • A circulation and parking plan for the Larkspur/Greenbrae area. • A land use and housing opportunity study for the Larkspur Landing area that would look at potential mixed-use opportunities relative to the existing commercial, office, and ferry terminal sites. • A study of the Redwood Highway area, including circulation, parking, land use, and housing. In May 2011, ABAG and MTC granted $480,000 in station area planning grant funds to the City to prepare a land use and circulation plan for the station area. The grant also funded preparation of a program-level Environmental Impact Report to analyze potential environmental impacts of circulation and land use changes in the station area and potential risks to development in the station area posed by natural hazards. Policy recommendations of the 1 City of Larkspur Resolution 02-11. draft 1.2 CITY OF LARKSPUR Larkspur SMART Station Area Plan should be incorporated into the General Plan update process to provide guidance for the future of the station area. Planning Process Preparation of the Larkspur SMART Station Area Plan began in May 2012, marked by kick-off meetings of the City Council-appointed Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC), and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Tasks and milestones throughout the station area planning process include: • Existing Conditions Report (July 2012) – The Existing Conditions Report includes a comprehensive assessment of the existing physical conditions, regulatory context, and utilities and infrastructure found in the station area. • Market Analysis Memorandum (August 2012) – This memo describes the demographic and economic trends in the station area; housing, household unit, and employment projections; and real estate market conditions and demand. • Affordable Housing and Anti-Displacement Strategy (November 2012) – This Strategy develops goals and implementation measures to provide a range of housing options affordable to households at all incomes. • Parking Demand Analysis Memorandum (November 2012) – This memorandum documents the existing and future parking conditions for the station area and recommends parking ratios for residential and commercial developments. • Land Use Alternatives Analysis Report (December 2012) – The Land Use Alternatives Analysis Report features the land use alternatives that were developed and analyzed for the station area, as well as a circulation framework that is common to each plan. • Infrastructure Needs Analysis Technical Report (March 2013) – This report provides an analysis of the anticipated infrastructure improvements associated with the preferred plan identified in the Land Use Alternatives Analysis Report. The analysis includes utility and circulation infrastructure as well as new public parks and other amenities and improvements to two existing parks. Introduction | LARKSPUR SAN RAFAEL STUDY AREA ek igh H AC VIA LA BRIS A . DR E IV DR Y CK LU IRC LE FIFER an LU High School E IV Y CK VIA LA Redwood BRISA DR 101 FIFER AVE l na a hC Hig VE KY C LU I DR te Ro u ike lB ne Ro u te Tu n Tu n ne lB ike lP ar kH Ca ill lP ar kH LA N DI N Serenity CourtyardG Hotel LA R KS Ca PU R Marin Century L.L. Country Mart LA Cinema N RK s LA Neighborhood Park DI N G Drake’s Way SP UR LA N Larkspur Ferry Terminal + Parking Wood Island R DI N E Corte Madera Shorebird Marsh G FRA NCIS D R A K E B LV D . R CORTE MADERA ALK GREENBRAE BOARDW CORTE MADERA ALK GREENBRAE BOARDW Madera Bay CORTE MADERA Park Site Miwok Park Drake’s Cove FRA R NCIS D R A K E B LV D . FRA Remillard Park NCIS D R A K E B LV D . COUNTY OF MARIN COUNTY OF MARIN COUNTY San Francisco Bay OF MARIN San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay Corte Madera Marsh State Ecological Reserve E RIV LV VISTA B MD RNU ALK GREENBRAE BOARDW Cost Plus Plaza RIV MD RNU WO rker Trail Sandra Ma IVE101 R FIFER UM D RN AVE WO WO 1200’ ill 101 AVE al hC San Andreas High School rker Trail Sandra Ma UM BRE VIA LA C DR . al n Ca Hig DOHERTY DRIVE 20 REDW OOD IGHW HIGH AY WAY IER te Ro u ike lB ne Tu n ill lP ar kH LA C VIA UM BRE LA C DR . O Cre OOD H RIV 101 RO ree era Tamiscal High School O aC k UT RI E 2 Co VIERA0 r C t eM IRC VIA LA BRIS A LE ad DOHERTY DRIVE ISE E UT REDW RO der RO R 101 20 TE SP 20 U A.L MD LVD. TALV VISTA B TAMAL 600 BA ek RO RI UT VIER E2 AC IRC 0 Co LE rte Ma Drake’s Landing VISTA B 300 ISE Cre rker Trail Sandra Ma 0 Y RR E UT SAN RAFAEL Larkspur Courts U RK WAY ra Larkspur Offices Marin Airporter RO TAMAL CITY OF LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN 300 600 1200’ ade AY W s LA HIGH DR . DOHERTY DRIVE CITY OF LARKSPUR 0 300 600 1200’ SMART STATION AREA PLAN Park eM 101 REDW OOD Piper Park SEO ort 101 s SAN RAFAEL SI Larkspur CreekLarkspur Creek Larkspur Creek DR . Greenbrae School Park O DR . FRABRET AY Y NC AN W IS O WA Y DR RR AK A EB B LVD Bon Air . SIR Shopping FRCenter AN CIS AY DR W AK E B RY LRVD RO A . B UT E2 Niven 0 C 101 SI S. EL I AD R. SIR LARKSPUR SEO LVD . EL SEO . EB EL DR LARKSPUR S. EL I BR ANC ETA IS DRAY NO W AK TR OS S. EL I CITY OF LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN UM BRE TR LA C AD R. TR UE S LA C OS COUNTY D OF MARIN SIR LARKSPURR. FR SAN RAFAEL COUNTY OF MARIN Greenbrae Hills NO WAY ISE SCHOOLS 0 Figure 1.1: Station Area SI OPEN SPACE ETA EL OPEN SPACE WATER SCHOOLS PARKS BR UE S WATER SMART STATION LOCATION SCHOOLS PARKS LARKSPUR FERRY TERMINAL SAN RAFAEL COUNTY OF. MARIN ERR LOS C s SMART STATION LOCATION PARKS STATION AREA BOUNDARY LARKSPUR FERRY TERMINAL CITY/COUNTY BOUNDARIES OPEN SPACE DR ERR LOS C s R CITY/COUNTY BOUNDARIES LEGEND WATER OS COUNTY OF MARIN VIA STATION AREA BOUNDARY LARKSPUR UE S SMART STATION LOCATION LARKSPUR FERRY TERMINAL STUDY AREA AD R. COUNTY OF MARIN ER LOS C s LA C STUDY AREA CITY/COUNTY BOUNDARIES SAN RAFAEL Ca LARKSPUR STATION AREA BOUNDARY LEGEND COUNTY OF MARIN 101 LEGEND 1 D. LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN | February 2014 1.3 1 | Introduction Figure 1.2: Larkspur’s Geographic Context SIR M AG . RD NO LIA N AV BO E. The City of Larkspur is located in Marin County, bordered to the north by San Rafael, to the southeast by Corte Madera, to the south by Mill Valley, and to the west and north by the County of Marin. It is approximately 13 miles north across the Golden Gate Bridge from downtown San Francisco, and approximately 9 miles west across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge from downtown Richmond and Contra Costa County. U.S. Highway 101 runs north-south through the eastern portion of Larkspur, connecting south to San Francisco, and north through Marin to Sonoma County. The Larkspur SMART station area consists of 405 acres located in eastern Larkspur, approximately 1.5 miles northeast of the city’s downtown core, at the edge of San Francisco Bay (see Figure 1.2). The station area is defined by a combination of the Larkspur city boundary and a ½-mile radius around the planned SMART station location. The SMART station, representing the end of the SMART rail line as it comes south from San Rafael, is located in the draft 1.4 CITY OF LARKSPUR NC IS D RA KE BLV DE RS 101 LARKSPUR LANDING D. ON DR . 580 FERRY LARKSPUR . These documents, as well as the presentations made at each meeting during the planning process, are available on the Station Area Plan webpage (http://cityoflarkspur.org/SAP). A program Environmental Impact Report (EIR), also available on the webpage, has been prepared to analyze the environmental impacts of this Plan; the EIR provides more detail on existing and projected traffic generation than is included in this document. Area Context FRA E MAGNOLIA AV • Urban Design Guidelines (April 2013) – The Urban Design Guidelines provide concepts and standards to direct the physical form of future development. SAN RAFAEL AN AIR • Implementation and Financing Strategy (March 2013) - This memo identifies potential funding sources, time frames and implementing agencies for each infrastructure item. It also describes a variety of financing models and funding sources that may be considered over the long-term to fund future public improvements not yet identified. The Strategy also considers potential policies and programs for addressing housing and economic development needs in the station area building on the Affordable Housing and Anti-Displacement Strategy. DOHERTY DRIVE SAN QUENTIN CORTE MADERA TAMALPAIS DR San Francisco Bay . MILL VALLEY SMART right-of-way that parallels Highway 101, near the terminus of the Cal Park Hill Tunnel bike path, and behind and above the Century Larkspur Landing Cinema. The station area is located where several jurisdictions converge, including Larkspur, San Rafael, Corte Madera and the County of Marin. It is bisected by Highway 101 running north-south, and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard running roughly east-west. Corte Madera Creek flows through the station area to the bay. Introduction | LARKSPUR SAN RAFAEL SUB-AREAS RIV 600 te Ro u ike lB ne Tu n te ill Ro u lP ar kH ike ike UR lB LARKSPUR LANDING LARKSPUR LANDING ne lP ar kH UM BRE ill Tu n Ca lP ar kH ill Ro u te Tu n ne lB Ca UM BRE UM BRE VIA . DR 101 AVE al VE I DR Y CK LU al VE KY C LU 101 FIFER an hC Hig I DR AVE IVE101 R FIFER UM D RN AVE WO LA N LA RK DI G SP UR LA N LA RK s N DI N G SP UR LA N R DI N G FRA FRA ALK GREENBRAE BOARDW R CORTE MADERA REDWOOD HIGHWAY CORTE MADERA ALK GREENBRAE BOARDW ALK GREENBRAE BOARDW REDWOOD CORTE MADERA HIGHWAY REDWOOD HIGHWAY NCIS D R A K E B LV D . FRA NCIS D R A K E B LV D . COUNTY OF MARIN COUNTY OF MARIN COUNTY San Francisco Bay OF MARIN San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay E E RIV MD RNU WO NCIS D R A K E B LV D . RIV MD RNU WO rker Trail Sandra Ma LA C DR . O ISE FIFER an VIA LA BRIS A 1200’ LA C VIA LE hC rker Trail Sandra Ma E IV DR Y CK LU IRC Hig DOHERTY DRIVE LA C DR . O VIA LA BRIS A al n Ca LV VISTA B 300 ek igh H AC rker Trail Sandra Ma 0 ISE Cre IER 20 RO ree era DOHERTY DRIVE EL aC A.L MD LVD. TALV VISTA B TAMAL CITY OF LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN 300 600 1200’ der k UT RI E 2 Co VIERA0 r C t eM IRC VIA LA BRIS A LE ad SAN RAFAEL SP 101 REDW OOD IGHW HIGH AY WAY RO E UT OOD H Ma RO VISTA B 0 BA k 20 TE U TAMAL CITY OF LARKSPUR 0 300 600 1200’ SMART STATION AREA PLAN ree RK R AY W Y RR RO RI UT VIER E2 AC IRC 0 Co LE rte DOHERTY DRIVE CITY OF LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN aC WAY der REDW DR . Ma LA 101 HIGH rte s 101 LARKSPUR LANDING 20 U RO s SAN RAFAEL SI Larkspur CreekLarkspur Creek Larkspur Creek SEO TE 101 SI S. EL I DR . 101 REDW OOD SEO REDWOOD HIGHWAY AREA FRABRET AY Y NC AN W IS O WA Y DR RR AK A EB B LVD . SIR FRA NC IS AY DR W AK E B RY LRVD RO A . B UT E2 0 Co O DR . GREENBRAE D. SIR LARKSPUR S. EL I BLV ISE SEO . KE EL DR LARKSPUR S. EL I AD R. TR OS GREENBRAE VIA TR AD R. TR UE S BR ANC ETA IS DRAY NO W A SAN RAFAEL SI REDWOOD HIGHWAY AREA GREENBRAE AREA NO WAY EL GREENBRAE AREA LARKSPUR LANDING AREA ERR LOS C SMART STATION LOCATION GREENBRAE AREA LARKSPUR FERRY TERMINAL LARKSPUR LANDING AREA REDWOOD HIGHWAY AREA ETA OS COUNTY D OF MARIN SIR LARKSPURR. FR LA C SMART STATION LOCATION STATION AREA BOUNDARY LARKSPUR FERRY TERMINAL LARKSPUR LANDING AREA CITY/COUNTY BOUNDARIES BR R s Figure 1.3: Station Area Zones COUNTY OF MARIN GREENBRAE COUNTY OF. MARIN UE S s CITY/COUNTY BOUNDARIES DR ER LOS C LEGEND OS COUNTY OF MARIN SAN RAFAEL UE S STATION AREA BOUNDARY LARKSPUR LA C SMART STATION LOCATION LARKSPUR FERRY TERMINAL SUB-AREAS AD R. COUNTY OF MARIN ERR LOS C s LA C SUB-AREAS CITY/COUNTY BOUNDARIES SAN RAFAEL Ca LARKSPUR STATION AREA BOUNDARY LEGEND COUNTY OF MARIN 101 LEGEND 1 D. LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN | February 2014 1.5 1 | Introduction Station Area Zones As shown in Figure 1.3, the station area can be divided into three geographic sub-areas. The Larkspur Landing area is bounded by Highway 101 and the SMART right-of-way to the west, a wooded ridgeline and the San Rafael city border to the north, the ½-mile radius from the proposed future SMART station to the east, and Corte Madera Creek/Larkspur city boundary to the south. It comprises the proposed future SMART station site, the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, and a diverse mix of uses including retail, a hotel, offices, single- and multi-family residences, parks and open space, and a large, mostly vacant parcel owned by Sanitary District #1 of Marin County. The Greenbrae area is bounded on the east and north by the ½-mile radius and the Larkspur city limits, to the east by Highway 101, and to the south by Corte Madera Creek and is bisected by Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. North of the boulevard is a portion of the larger Greenbrae Hills single-family neighborhood, while south of Sir Francis Drake are a mix of office, retail, gas stations and a residential townhome community. The Redwood Highway area is located at the south end of the station area. It is bounded by Corte Madera Creek to the north, Wornum Drive to the south, and the city boundary on both the east and west. The Redwood Highway area consists of a mix of uses including retail, light industrial and higherdensity residential development in the form of two mobile home parks and one RV park. Though the entirety of the Redwood Highway area is included in the station area, it extends south of the half-mile radius surrounding the SMART station. Development History Larkspur was originally inhabited by the Miwok Indians who hunted and fished along the salt marsh. The area was discovered in the early 1800s by the Spanish, became part of the Mexican Republic in 1824, and was then relinquished to the United States in the 1840s. The first settlers in town proper were lumbermen, farmers and ranchers. A railroad station was built in town in 1891, linking the town with the ferries that traversed the San Francisco Bay, and attracting summer visitors and the first commut- draft 1.6 CITY OF LARKSPUR ers. Commercial buildings and, in 1913, City Hall were built in what would become downtown, along Magnolia Avenue, a county road that connected Sausalito with San Rafael. With a population approaching 600 – double that in summer – the city celebrated its official incorporation in 1908. Within the station area, development history begins before incorporation. The first significant settlement occurred just outside the station area in the 1850s, with California’s first prison, San Quentin State Prison, and the adjacent San Quentin Village. In the early 1890s, the Green Brae Brick Yard, owned by the Remillard Brick Company, began making bricks. Between 1891 and 1915, the company produced around 500,000 bricks per year in their Green Brae kiln, supplying bricks to the entire Pacific Coast. The brick yard supported a small community of laborers who lived nearby. The community included 16 cabins for workmen, a cookhouse, stable, blacksmith shop, vegetable gardens, and an orchard. Two buildings from the Remillard Brick Company’s Green Brae operation have been preserved and both are located within the station area: the Remillard Brick Kiln and the Remillard Superintendent’s House (see Figure 1.4). Located at 125 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, the kiln, together with its chimney stack, is one of the few remaining examples of the Hoffmann Type kiln in the United States. The Brick Kiln was renovated in 1991 with the inclusion of an additional office building. Today, the Melting Pot restaurant occupies the historic kiln building. The Brick Kiln building is listed with the National Register of Historic Places, and is also a State Historic Landmark. The Remillard Superintendent’s House is a one-story hip roof Victorian style house built in the 1890s. Originally located near the Remillard Brick Kiln, in 1984 the house was donated by the City of Larkspur to the San Rafael Cooperative Nursery School (now called the Children’s Cottage Cooperative Pre-school), and was relocated to 2900 Larkspur Landing Circle. Any future development proposed in the Station Area Plan should respect these two historic buildings. Just outside the station area and under the jurisdiction of Marin County is Greenbrae Boardwalk, a small community of waterfront houses along the RAFAEL 101 ike Ro u te SANIntroduction RAFAEL | 1 Tu n AD EL ISE O DR . The Hutchinson Quarry began serious operations in 1924 in the area below SIR LARKSPUR the ridge in Larkspur Landing, using barges to supply quarried crushed rock FRA NCaround the Bay Area. The legacy can to various locations still be seen in the Greenbrae IS DR School Parkresidential AK stone cliffs behind the multi-family rugged 120-foot high gray EB LVD developments. Bon Air . Shopping Center S. EL I SEO DR . 20 Larkspur Creek Piper Park Drake’s E UT of the The Larkspur Ferry Terminal began operating in 1976. Development Landing RO RO area, with offices and a shopping center, began in 1978 Larkspur Landing UT Eto 20 resemble a New England seaport town. Under new and was designed Co r ownership andte renamed, the shopping center (now Marin Country Mart) Ma der has recently been renovated. The Courtyard by Marriott Hotel opened in aC ree k (built as condominiums) at Larkspur Courts 1987, and the 250 apartments RIV Since then, the completion of Serenity and Drake’s Way were added in 1991. IER A apartments has createdCaIRlarge CLE community of multi-family housing upon the hillside. CU MB RE Ca lP ar kH KS LA PU Neighborhood R LA Marin REMILLARD Park SUPERINTENDENT’SN Century L.L. Country HOUSE DIN G Mart Drake’s Way Cinema Marin Airporter Miwok Park Drake’s Cove REMILLARD BRICK KILN Larkspur Ferry Terminal + Parking Wood Island R FRA NCIS D R A K E B LV D . Remillard Park COUNTY OF MARIN ALK GREENBRAE BOARDW CORTE MADERA AVE C LU REDW Tamiscal High School Redwood High School OOD HIGH WAY For generations community members have speculated that Sir Francis Drake landed somewhere between the San Quentin Peninsula and the VIAReyes LA BRISLighthouse Point in 1579. This explains the numerous references to A l na Sir Francis Drake in the area. In 1989, Caa 30-foot tall statue of Sir Francis Drake h g E by sculptor Dennis Patton wasHiinstalled just Boulevard IV off Sir Francis Drake 101 DR across from the Remillard Brick Kiln. F Y E IFER K DOHERTY DRIV s Serenity Courtyard Hotel LA R SI In the 1940s, residential developmentY in the Greenbrae Hills neighborhood A W began. At that time, the Northwestern Railroad was extended south from 101 Y R R San Rafael to provide a direct commute line to Point Tiburon. The Greenbrae A B Nivenstation location. Rail freight traffic conStation stood near the future SMART Park tinued along this line until the 1980s. Larkspur Courts Larkspur Offices VIA LA CU E Corte Madera Creek. The Boardwalk has a vibrant history. The first ark (floating DR house) landed at Greenbrae Boardwalk in 1903. The Greenbrae Boardwalk. community developed in the 1920s and 30s. Over the years, the arks BR from houses on barges to houses on foundations above have transitioned ETA AY the mean high tideNline. there are 49 homes on the Boardwalk. O WToday OS Figure 1.4: Historic Landmarks ill Greenbrae Hills ST R ERR LOS C R. ne lB COUNTY OF MARIN Madera Bay Park Site (left) Remillard Brick Kiln (above) Remillard Superintendent’s House San Francisco Bay Cost Plus Plaza San Andreas High School TAMAL VISTA WO M RNU VE DRI LARKSPUR STATION AREA PLAN | February 2014 Corte SMART Madera Marsh State Ecological Reserve 1.7 1 | Introduction Community Outreach and Participation Community participation is an integral part of the station area planning process. The City employed a variety of methods to advertise public workshops, including citywide mailers, press releases and announcements in local newspapers, letters to property owners and residents, a Station Area Plan webpage (http://cityoflarkspur.org/SAP) and e-notifications on the City’s website (with 200 subscribers), advertisements in the biannual Larkspur and Corte Madera recreation brochure, staff presence at various community events such as the Marin Country Mart Farmer’s Market and Larkspur-Corte Madera Women’s Club discussion panels, and staff canvassing neighborhoods to talk with residents and business owners and post event fliers. Throughout the development of the Station Area Plan, the City disseminated information to the public and solicited public comments at the following meetings and workshops: • Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), comprised of residents, business and property owners, and citizens of the city. Meetings with the CAC were held on: ◦◦ May 7, 2012 ◦◦ July 30, 2012 ◦◦ October 18,2012 ◦◦ November 15, 2012 ◦◦ February 21, 2013 ◦◦ May 20, 2013 ◦◦ June 17, 2013 • Four community workshops: ◦◦ July 23, 2012 (50 attendees) ◦◦ November 5, 2012 (40 attendees) ◦◦ March 7, 2013 (30 attendees) ◦◦ December 3, 2013 (100 attendees) draft 1.8 CITY OF LARKSPUR All CAC and community comments were recorded and summarized in meeting summaries. Consensus comments were incorporated into the draft Plan, while minority opinions were recorded and retained for the record. Introduction | 1 Community members worked together to envision and discuss future land uses for the station area at Community Workshop #1; discuss transportation and circulation issues and participate in a voting exercise related to land use and density at Community Workshop #2; and discuss proposed urban design guidelines, and identify where and what type of new public spaces and pedestrian and bicycle amenities are needed at Community Workshop #3. LARKSPUR SMART STATION AREA PLAN | February 2014 1.9