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San Rafael zoning administrator approves expansion of religious facility at 555 East Francisco Boulevard with parking-management condition
Summary
On April 9, 2025, San Rafael’s acting zoning administrator conditionally approved a use permit to expand a religious facility at 555 East Francisco Boulevard to 5,709 sq ft, adding a required parking management plan after a public parking concern; a five-day appeal period applies.
Renee Nick, acting zoning administrator for the city of San Rafael, conditionally approved on April 9 a use permit to expand an existing religious facility at 555 East Francisco Boulevard, adding a required parking management plan to the project’s conditions of approval.
The approval follows a planner presentation that said the project would expand the facility into Unit 17 for a total of 5,709 square feet and operates under Use Permit 9934 (in effect since September 1999). The planner told the hearing the project complies with the Marine Mixed Use general plan designation and is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under CEQA §15301 for existing facilities.
Staff reported receiving one public comment raising ongoing parking concerns related to the church’s operation. “The applicant shall submit a parking management plan for review and approval by the city prior to building final,” the planner read into the record, including a required point of contact (name, phone, email), designated employee parking at the back of the shopping center, recommendations for temporary signage during church events, ongoing monitoring to ensure compliance, and provisions for construction staging and employee parking.
An applicant representative said they have been coordinating with property owners who share a common driveway, acknowledged prior parking issues, and said a plan would be developed and submitted prior to construction. “I’ve been in touch with the property owners…they have a good plan coming together,” the representative said.
“I’ve reviewed the staff report. I see no conflict, no issue. I see the findings have been met,” Nick said when announcing the decision. She added the expansion is approved with the staff report conditions plus the added parking-management requirement.
The decision is subject to a five-day appeal period. Nick stated the appeal procedure and fees: a $358 filing fee for a San Rafael resident and a $5,119 deposit for an applicant or a non-resident. If no appeal is filed, the project will become effective April 17.
Staff said the staff report will be amended to include the added condition, reposted with meeting minutes within a week, and that the decision will be emailed to the applicant and other requesters.
