Essential Info

Latest Updates

November 15, 2024 - Community Email

November 8, 2024 - SDV Letter to Robert Epstein

November 1, 2024 - Community Email

October 29, 2024 - Denial of Appeal Letter from City

October 18, 2024 - Community Email

October 18, 2024 - Incompleteness Response

October 14, 2024 - Community Email

October 7, 2024 - Community Email

September 23, 2024 - Community Email

September 6, 2024 - Community Email

August 29, 2024 - Notice of Appeal - Dominican

August 23, 2024 - City of San Rafael Letter of Incompleteness 

August 23, 2024: Community email

August 2, 2024: Dominican Letter to SR City Council

July 25, 2024: Developer Submitted Revised Application

SAVE DOMINICAN VALLEY's letter to the community on May 6, 2024 is available here.

The new proposed development is shown on the attached map here.

On April 26, 2024 the City of San Rafael issued another letter of Incompleteness to the developer. A copy of that Letter is available here.

On March 29, 2024 the Dominican Valley, LLC developer submitted a revised application to the City of San Rafael. A copy of that application is available here. 

On January 4, 2024, the city sent the developer a 28-page letter informing them that their development application was incomplete and setting forth the issues that needed to be addressed before the application could move forward.

On January 24, 2024, SDV sent the City a response to their Letter of Incompleteness detailing why the Builder's Remedy does not apply and requesting that the City formally inform the Developer of such. Click here to see the letter sent to the City.

See the Development Plans

Formal Application:

As of December 6, 2023, Dominican Valley LLC has submitted a formal application to the City of San Rafael Planning Division for 50 homes, which includes 27 single family homes, 17 townhomes (14 with junior ADUs) and 6 duplexes:

One-page markup of site from Planning Submittal - click to enlarge.

On January 4, 2024, the city sent the developer a 28-page letter informing them that their development application was incomplete and setting forth the issues that needed to be addressed before the application could move forward.

The city has also updated the project page for the Dominican Valley project, which can be found here:  https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/dominican-residential/

Preliminary Application:

As of June 22, 2023, the developer has submitted 5 different pre-applications to the City of San Rafael Planning Division, 4 of which claim eligibility for what is known as the "Builder's Remedy". The proposals range from:

29 Residences Plan - click to enlarge.

23 two-story single-family homes and 6 townhomes.

36 Residences Plan - Click to enlarge.

30 two-story single-family homes and 6 three-story townhomes.

54 Residences Plan - click to enlarge

42 three-story townhomes, 10 two-story single-family homes and 2 duplexes.

75 Residences Plan - click to enlarge

75 three-story townhomes.

Each pre-application is accompanied by Exhibits. The exhibits are the same for each application, click the links to view.

Other Maps  |  Deed for Land  |  LLC Documents  |  Owner Letter

The developer's pre-applications were submitted to benefit from Senate Bill (SB) 330, known as “Builder's Remedy”. A statewide law, SB 330 expedites building permits by eliminating the need for developers to be compliant with local development standards. It also greatly reduces the number of public meetings required for any project.

Learn about SB 330 and its impact on our communities.  Also OurNeighborhoodVoices.com

Developers may apply for SB 330 permits only when a municipality has not adopted a Housing Element Plan that is in substantial compliance with state law.

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The city of San Rafael adopted its 2023-2031 Housing Element Plan, which included state-requested revisions, on June 7, 2023. The city received formal state certification of the plan on June 22, 2023.

Click here to see San Rafael's state-certified 2023-2031 Housing Element Plan.

Status of the Development Plans

On July 28, 2023, the San Rafael Planning Division responded to the development plans with preliminary application letters that grant the applicant “vested rights” to continue with the application process.

Click here to see the city’s response to the plans, located under Preliminary Application Letter or click the links below.

  1. Proposal A
  2. Proposal B
  3. Proposal C
  4. Proposal D
  5. Proposal E

Based on the May 15, 2023, date on which the city adopted its state-compliant 2023-2031 Housing Element Plan, we do not believe the developer's plans qualify for SB 330. Marin County non-profit Community Venture Partners supported this position in a letter sent to the city on August 8, 2023.

Click here to see the letter.

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In a September 8, 2023 letter to the city, coalition members outlined their concerns about inaccuracies in the submitted pre-applications and provided a detailed analysis explaining why the applications do not follow city code, were erroneously approved and should be retracted.

Click here to see the letter sent to the city.

All Documents, Letters and Press

November 15, 2024 - Community Email

November 8, 2024 - SDV Letter to Robert Epstein

November 1, 2024 - Community Email

October 29, 2024 - Denial of Appeal Letter from City

October 18, 2024 - Community Email

October 18, 2024 - Incompleteness Response

October 14, 2024 - Community Email

October 7, 2024 - Community Email

September 23, 2024: Community email

September 6, 2024: Community email

August 29, 2024 - Notice of Appeal - Dominican

August 23, 2024: City of San Rafael Letter of Incompleteness

August 23, 2024: Community email

August 2, 2024: Dominican Letter to SR City Council

May 31, 2024: Community email

May 30, 2024: SDV Letter to City Council

May 6, 2024: Community email

April 10, 2024: Community email

March 20, 2024: City of San Rafael Response to PRA Request

March 6, 2024: DBCNA Letter to SR City Council

January 24, 2024: SDV Letter to SR City Council

January 23, 2024: Community email

January 20, 2024: Letter to Mark Brown from Ready Country Club

January 9, 2024: Community email

January 4, 2024: City of San Rafael Letter of Incompleteness

December 16, 2023: Community email

November 30, 2023: Community email

October 30, 2023: Community email

October 3, 2023: SDV Letter to City Re: Builder's Remedy

September 12, 2023: Community email

September 9, 2023: SDV Letter to City re: deficiencies in the pre-applications

August 8, 2023: Freedom of Information Act Letter

August 8, 2023: Pre-Application Timeline Letter