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San Rafael council approves developer-funded EIR contract for Dominican residential proposal
Summary
The City Council authorized a contract with ESA for a full-scope Environmental Impact Report for the Dominican residential development, with the developer to pay the EIR costs via a required deposit. Council approved the contract 4-0 after public comment raising traffic, wildfire and deposit-timing concerns.
The San Rafael City Council on Oct. 6 approved a professional services agreement to hire ESA to prepare a full-scope Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Dominican residential development, with the developer required to deposit the estimated EIR cost before work begins.
The agreement covers CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) consulting services and was approved 4-0. Micah Hinkle, community and economic development director, described the item as an administrative step to contract for consultant services and said the city expects the project to require an EIR.
The contract was presented to the council as an administrative authorization so the city could engage specialized consultants to complete technical studies required for CEQA review. Hinkle said the city selected ESA after a competitive consultant search and that the developer will fund the study through a deposit. The city attorney later confirmed the required deposit amount for the EIR and related charges is $772,743 and that staff will request full payment before ESA begins work.
Members of the Dominican neighborhood urged thorough review during public comment, focusing on traffic, emergency access and wildfire risk. Don Dickinson, a longtime Dominican resident, told the council he supported a full EIR and praised the choice of consultants: “I was very pleased with that.” Several residents described narrow local streets, single-lane segments, blind curves and past fires, asking that the traffic and fire-response analysis reflect lived experience on Margarita Drive and Highland Avenue.
City staff clarified process questions raised by speakers. Christina Estadillo, principal planner, and Hinkle explained that a consistency determination prepared under the Housing Accountability Act is a separate communication to the applicant about objective standard inconsistencies and does not replace CEQA review. The city attorney said the applicant is currently in good standing with the city and that the deposit request was sent on Sept. 18; staff noted work will not commence until the deposit is received.
Council members asked staff to note that the council’s action was limited to authorizing the contract and that substantive project merits will be considered later through the planning process, including public hearings before the Planning Commission.
The motion to approve the contract was moved and seconded and carried by a 4-0 roll call vote. Staff said the EIR scope will include all Appendix G topical areas and that screening shortcuts were not used; the EIR is budgeted as a full-scope environmental impact report.
