Nijjar Living Trust Housing Compliance Review (P4412)

Project summary:

The applicant proposes to construct residential care facility for the elderly on a vacant lot along Thomas Drive and N. Knoll Road in Strawberry, an unincorporated area of Marin County. The project would be located on 3.70 acres of the 6.6-acre site. The facility would be one structure consisting of five stories over a subterranean parking garage, with a maximum height of 63 feet 6 inches above grade. The building would contain approximately 150,655 square feet of floor area, 71 apartments with kitchens, 35 assisted living/memory care suites, a central kitchen facility, common areas and parking garage.

Project description:

The building would contain approximately 150,655 square feet of floor area, consisting of 71 apartments with kitchens, 35 assisted living/memory care suites, a central kitchen facility, common areas (foyer, bistro, private dining room, general dining rooms, activity rooms, theater, salon, library, music room and staff rooms), maintenance areas, storage areas, and laundry area. The main components of the project include:

• Seventy-one (71) apartments with kitchens to allow independent living;
• Thirty-five (35) assisted living/memory care suites (without cooking facilities);
• A total of seventy-two (72) parking spaces in the subterranean parking garage; and
• Provide common dining room and activity areas would be provided onsite.

Walking trails on the upslope portion of the property would be accessible via an elevated walkway and trolley line. Other site improvements would include a pool, bocce ball court, access and drop-off driveways, access stairs, a fire truck turnaround, site retaining walls and bioretention basins. 

The building would consist of five-stories over a subterranean parking garage and would reach a height of 63 feet 6 inches above grade. The exterior façade would include a combination of a contemporary and a craftsman architectural design with earthen-tone stucco and wood-like siding. The top floor would include a vertical metal panel siding.  

The entire facility would be operated and licensed as a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) by the California Department of Social Services (DSS), in accordance with the Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act (Health & Safety Code § 1569 et seq.) and California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 6, Chapter 8. As a multi-story RCFE facility, the project is subject to a panoply of special requirements, including yearly inspections by DSS for compliance with care, safety, and sanitary regulations, as well as special construction and ongoing monitoring requirements of the physical plant (e.g., noncombustible construction materials such as steel/concrete as opposed to wood construction for rental housing and a 24-hour monitoring system). The licensing includes special requirements related to care and service requirements.

All residents would have access to three meals per day in a shared dining room. All residents would receive housekeeping, laundry, transportation services, enrichment programs such as on-site yoga and meditation classes, and group wellness activities.

Housing Compliance Review approval is required pursuant to Marin County Code Section 22.64.020.A, because the project entails the ministerial review of a housing development project under the regulations of the Marin County Form Based Code.

Zoning: HOD-RMP-0.2
Countywide Plan Designation: HOD-PR
Community Plan (if applicable): Strawberry Community Plan