Mill Valley planning panel recommends council reapprove 45-unit Hamilton Drive affordable housing project amid CEQA dispute

The Mill Valley Planning Commission unanimously recommended the City Council reapprove rezoning and design permits for a revised 45‑unit affordable housing project at 1 Hamilton Drive on Nov. 17.

Staff and the project team told commissioners the parcel has a long approval history dating to about 2000 and that the revised plan trims the housing parcel from about 1.75 acres to roughly 1.6 acres by removing approximately 0.15 acres (about 0.011 acres, cited in staff materials) that contained a seasonal wetland. Principal Planner Danielle Staudy said the building footprint, colors and materials are unchanged and that the project remains a podium‑parking design with 63 garage spaces, 44 affordable units plus one manager unit (described in materials as 45 units total), and that mitigation measures from the prior environmental impact report will be adopted as conditions of approval.

Opponents at the hearing raised concerns about noticing, timing and process, asserting the boundary adjustment is intended to fit the project into a new state CEQA exemption and to avoid…