San Rafael commissioners approve 8‑story mixed‑use building at 1033 3rd Street with 131 units

The Planning Commission unanimously approved a major environmental and design review permit for a proposed 8‑story mixed‑use building at the site described in materials as 900 A Street (1033 3rd Street) on Nov. 18. Staff recommended a Class 32 CEQA infill exemption and presented detailed conditions of approval that include a comprehensive construction management plan; the commission adopted the staff resolution with modified conditions.

Staff said the project replaces an existing 4,400‑square‑foot commercial building with an eight‑story structure containing 131 residential units and about 4,000 square feet of ground‑floor commercial space. The project’s base unit count is 110 units, with a 20% density bonus tied to 10% low‑income units, yielding approximately 21 bonus units. The proposed mix described by staff and the applicant includes 77 one‑bedroom units (6 deed‑restricted low‑income) and 54 two‑bedroom units (5 deed‑restricted low‑income), for a total of 11 deed‑restricted units.

Developer Tom Monahan and architect Isaiah Stackhouse presented design features including a strong three‑story base, podium garden, set‑back upper floors and a corner retail space intended for restaurant use. The applicant described ground floor amenity rooms and a podium garden intended to encourage building community and accommodate home‑offices in lower floors. The applicant indicated illustrative rent ranges for this project’s units of roughly $2,100–$2,800 for one‑bedrooms and $2,300–$3,000 for two‑bedrooms.

Staff and commissioners noted the project proposes 107 vehicle parking spaces and 109 bicycle parking spaces, with areas reserved for additional mechanical parking lifts that could add roughly 40 spaces. Commissioners praised the project’s articulation and said the design successfully disguises height and provides a pedestrian‑oriented ground plane. No substantive public opposition was raised during the public comment period for this item; commissioners moved promptly to motion and vote.

The resolution passed unanimously. As with the other approved project, the approved entitlements will be followed by detailed building permit reviews where the fire marshal, public works and sanitary district will review final engineering, access, utility connections and the construction management plan before demolition or construction may begin.