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Mill Valley Lumber Yard Project Inches Closer to Finish Line

3/30/2016

10 Comments

 
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In front of a packed house, the Mill Valley Lumber Yard project was the subject of a marathon Planning Commission meeting Tuesday night and, after almost six hours of debate, discussion, confusion and straw polls on several aspects of the project, the revitalization of one of Mill Valley’s most iconic properties inched closer to the finish line.

In the end, the Commission took a series of straw polls that appeared to resolve several issues facing the project, with the exception of the largest and most contentious: parking, which will be the primary subject of the Commission’s April 26th hearing on the project. The Commission’s pending decision on whether the proposed project provides sufficient parking will inform its recommendation to the City Council to either approve the project, likely with conditions of approval, or to deny it.

“We’re very excited to be moving closer to the finish line with a project to which we have dedicated nearly four years of our lives,” Jan and Matt Mathews said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the tremendous amount of feedback we’ve received from our neighbors and the larger community, and we’ve incorporated it into this project. We remain dedicated to creating a project that preserves the property’s great history and delivers a fantastic community gathering space that is a complement to the surrounding neighborhood.”

The Mill Valley Lumber Yard is a 42,500-square-foot site at 129 Miller Avenue with 17,616 square feet of existing building space, which includes the existing Guideboat, Ambatalia and Bloomingayles retail shops. The site is between the inbound and outbound lanes of Miller Avenue. The Mathews family bought the property in 2012 from the Cerri family, which had owned and maintained it as a lumber yard and True Value hardware store for the previous 14 years. The property was built by lumber magnate Robert Dollar in 1892 as Dollar Lumber Company.

The Mathews, who have hosted five neighborhood meetings about the project and presented at informal "study sessions" before the Commission in 2013 and 2014, previously renovated some of the buildings and are proposing to upgrade others. Those buildings are primarily at the southeast half of the property and include a proposed 1,500-square-foot cafe/restaurant (around the size of Molina downtown), as well as some retail, offices and an artist-in-residence space, in addition to what's there now.

Because of the size and scope of the project, it requires the City Council to approve its environmental review – in this case, an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND), as well as a re-zoning from RM, Residential Multi-Family, to NC, Neighborhood Commercial with PD, Planned Development Overlay and HO, Historic Zoning Overlays. The property is designated as part of the downtown commercial area within the MV2040 General Plan, the City’s constitution of sorts that was approved by the Council in late 2013.

At the outset of Tuesday’s hearing, Planning Director Vin Smith suggested that having the Commission deliberate, hear input from the community and then hold a subsequent hearing before making a final recommendation was best, given the amount of information and input the City has received about the project. That included more than 120 letters from residents, of which approximately 80 percent were in support of the project, City staff said.

“We want to make sure we get this right,” Smith said. “This is an iconic property in the community. It is openly regarded as a landmark in this town and we want to make sure that what is done is done with the utmost of care. We do believe in this project. But we want to do this with care.”

The hearing ran the gamut of issues surrounding the project, but parking – namely, how many parking spaces the project needed to accommodate its square footage and proposed uses – dominated much of the discussion. To address that, City staff has proposed that the project include, at the expense of the applicant, the formalizing of public parking spaces along adjacent Presidio Avenue, where there is currently extensive, informal parking frequently used for long-term vehicle storage.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the Commission took a straw poll on a number of subjects, deciding to allow for a cafe/restaurant that could stay open, with limited outdoor seating, until 9:30pm; allow up to 12 special events to occur on the site per year, with no amplification past 7pm and require improvement to the design of the trash/storage area. Following additional straw polls, the Commission requested more detailed information about the parking study's methodology, as well a more detailed parking layout.

“The purpose of our next meeting is to talk about parking,” Smith said at the conclusion of the hearing.

More info on the Mill Valley Lumber Yard project.
10 Comments
Jill & Greg Mantz
3/30/2016 09:42:55 pm

These owners are so clearly sensitive to and respectful of the property they have acquired. We look forward to their ongoing thoughtful contributions to our neighborhood and to our city.

Reply
Karen
3/30/2016 09:56:30 pm

Happy to hear these dedicated people a finically making progress
Team TamalPie

Reply
Nancy Saarman
3/31/2016 07:57:58 am

Very pleased that this project is moving forward. It is a wonderful plan for our Mill Valley community. Thank you Jan & Matt Mathews!

Reply
Susan Griffin Black
3/31/2016 08:18:23 am

Glad to see that there is some forward momentum. We support this project whole heartedly and the Matthews have the right intentions for our community. Thanks to GuideBoat, Ambatalia and Bloomingayles for their perseverance and paving the way.
All of us at EO xo

Reply
Rebecca Chapman
3/31/2016 10:01:15 am

9:30pm? Maybe that could change eventually. Some of us like to stay up later & can actually be quiet sometimes! Congrats to the Matthews though and all who have worked so hard to get this thing right. I can't wait to have a new beer & grub spot close to downtown but nicely tucked away from the rest of the local scene...

Reply
Hugh Kuhn
3/31/2016 03:51:20 pm

I would agree with you Rebecca. The 9:30 time was kind of pulled out of thin air actually during the meeting. Matt and Jan had asked for 10:30, and since there will be conditions placed on the way the restaraunt is operated anyway it sure didn't seem like they needed to change that at this time. I'd rather see them accept 10:30 and revisit after 6 months like they will be doing with so many other things. Not a lot of rowdy dining going on in MV at nighttime anyway. Not a lot of rowdy anything actually.

Reply
Molly ODell
3/31/2016 03:34:37 pm

Way to go Mathews family! Thank you for working on this project for our community.

Reply
Hugh Kuhn
3/31/2016 03:56:02 pm

Nice job to all involved the other night. To the Planning Commission - you did a nice, albeit long, job listening, questioning, and (ultimately) settling on the main items. To the Community - made me proud to live in MV with the respectful way (almost) everyone delivered their support and their concerns. To the City Staff - you did a great job pulling together so much information for the PC and helping them understand the nuances of a number of tricky questions. And finally, to the Matthews - you are angels of patience. Hang in there and we promise to make you proud as you see your vision succeed for years to come!

Reply
Kirsten Kennel
4/2/2016 09:43:25 am

The Matthews have truly put their heart into creating a gathering spot that will enhance our sense of community in Mill Valley. I applaud them for improving safe pedestrian access to downtown, creating a place for artists, all while maintaining the historic character of the lumber yard. After all, what would the name of "Mill" Valley be if there had never been a lumber yard and mill? Keeping this history alive and accessible is such a contribution to us all. I hope there is a solution to be found to address parking concerns.

Reply
Chris DeNike link
4/15/2016 05:36:00 pm

All wonderful news. This iconic slice of Mill Valley should be treasured. I applaud the Matthews for their patience, persistence and desire to maintain the historic value while at the same time bringing the Lumber Yard into the 21st century.

Reply



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