San Rafael planning commission approves mausoleum project at Mount Olivet Cemetery

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — The San Rafael Planning Commission on May 20 approved a major environmental and design review permit for a proposed garden mausoleum at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 270 Los Ranchitos Road.

Renee Nikanick, associate planner, said the project required a major review because the new structure would account for more than 40% of the existing building floor area on the cemetery site and that the property is identified as a historical resource for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act. The commission voted to adopt a resolution approving the permit, with a correction to a table in the staff report and a nonbinding recommendation that the applicant consult a certified arborist.

The approval matters because the cemetery parcel sits between the Northgate Mall complex and U.S. Highway 101 and is in the city’s parks, recreation and open-space land use designation, making impacts to visual character, trees and stormwater runoff of particular local interest. Commission discussion focused on tree protection and on how stormwater will be addressed later in the permitting process.

Nikanick described the proposal as a multi-cluster garden mausoleum to be located on the west side of the cemetery parcel and said the project was reviewed by a third party for compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation as part of the CEQA review. She said published packet materials contained an incorrect table and that staff would correct that table to reflect the code section relevant to major design review. She also told commissioners the mausoleum materials would match existing site materials where practical and that the structure would not exceed 16 feet, 4 3/4 inches in height.

An applicant representative said ownership of the eucalyptus trees between the mausoleum site and Los Ranchitos Road is split: “It’s about half and half. … They are currently beyond our fence line, but there is some shared overlap of ownership of the trees.” Commissioners asked whether roof-collected water would be routed to bioretention; planning staff said stormwater control requirements, if triggered by the project, would be reviewed and enforced during building-permit review by Public Works.

Alternate Commissioner Kent urged the applicant to retain a certified arborist during project work, citing potential hazards to people and property if mature trees are destabilized during construction. “I would strongly urge you to have a certified arborist that direct all of that, because there is a possibility of destabilizing those trees,” Kent said, adding that pruning and construction could affect tree roots and crowns.

After discussion, a motion to approve the major environmental and design review permit — as reflected in the staff packet with the corrected table — passed on a roll call vote. Commissioners recorded aye votes from Commissioner Haven, Commissioner Radley, Commissioner Summers, Alternate Commissioner Kent and Chair Mercado; the minutes state there were two abstentions from commissioners not in attendance. The resolution was adopted and staff noted that any stormwater control measures required by Public Works would be addressed in the building permit process.

The commission noted options that had been available earlier in the hearing, including adopting the proposed resolution, adopting it with modifications or continuing the item to allow the applicant to address additional comments. The action taken was an approval with the staff-report correction and the nonbinding arborist recommendation.

Any action of the Planning Commission may be appealed to the San Rafael City Council within five working days; staff said interested parties should contact the City of San Rafael Planning Division for appeal procedures and fee information.