Notice is hereby given that the Town of Corte Madera will review an Initial Study and a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Marin Montessori School Improvement Project. A public hearing to solicit comments is tentatively scheduled for May 23, 2017, and will be noticed in advance once the final hearing date has been determined.
Notice: Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15072, notice is hereby given that the Town of Corte Madera, acting as Lead Agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), intends to adopt an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS & MND) for the proposed project.
Project Location: The property is located at 5200, 5168, and 5164 Paradise Drive, east of Highway 101, Assessor’s Parcel Numbers are: 026-241-18; 026-241-24; 026-231-61 and 026-231-48. The total project site area is 241,563 square feet, including water portions of the property. The total developable area of the project site is 158,254 square feet.
Project Description: Marin Montessori School (MMS) purchased the 36,668 sq. ft. parcel to the east of the campus which is developed with a single family residence and second unit located at 5164 Paradise Drive (APN 026-231-48). The project application proposes to expand the existing school grounds to include the new property and modify the existing buildings for classroom use. No residential uses are planned for the acquired property. The project also includes the demolition of the existing one-story dome structures (2,230 sq. ft.) on the east side of the existing campus and construction of a new single 2,355 sq. ft. classroom building generally in the same location. The new classroom would add approximately 125 sq. ft. to the gross floor area for a total area of 23,248 sq. ft. on the MMS campus. The proposal does not include an increase in students or staff.
This application seeks approval of a General Plan Amendment to change the land use designation of the property at 5164 Paradise Drive from "Low Density Residential" to Public and Semi-public Facilities and re-zoning from R-1-A to Public and Semi-public Facilities for use as a school facility. The General Plan and Zoning change are required for the MMS to use the existing 5164 Paradise Drive residential buildings and property for school uses. The buildings on 5164 Paradise Drive will be incorporated into the total square footage calculation for the entire Marin Montessori Campus.
The applicant is also requesting an amendment to the existing Conditional Use Permit to allow expansion of the school campus to include the existing residence and cottage (approximately 3,172 sq. ft.) and adjacent grounds (36,668 sq. ft.) for a total campus development footprint of 23,098 square feet and for the demolition and replacement of the existing dome structures.
The proposed project requires design review approval for various modifications to the existing buildings and landscaping including the extension of the existing pathway on the north side of the campus pursuant to discussions with the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) to provide further public access to the shore.
Lastly, the proposed project includes modification to the existing vehicle turnaround (cul-de-sac) located at the eastern edge of the existing main campus (just south of the dome classrooms) and the addition of three parking spaces on the 5164 Paradise Drive property west of the existing driveway.
Potential Environmental Impacts: The proposed MND did not find any potential environmental impacts that could not be mitigated to a less-than-significant level.
Public Review Period: The public review period for the MND commences on April 10, 2017 and ends on May 19, 2017 at 5pm. Please address all comments in writing to Phil Boyle by email to pboyle@tcmmail.org or mail to Phil Boyle, Senior Planner, Corte Madera Planning Department, 300 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera, CA 94925-1418. The Town will only accept written comments during the comment period.
Location Where Documents Can Be Reviewed: The IS/MND and all documents referenced therein will be available for review at the Town Planning Department offices at 300 Tamalpais Drive from the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, excluding holidays, by contacting Phil Boyle at 415-927-5067. The IS/MND is also available for review at the Town’s webpage for this project at http://www.townofcortemadera.org/668/Marin-Montessori-School
Public Hearing: The Corte Madera Planning Commission has tentatively scheduled a public hearing to review and receive public comments on the IS/MND and the proposed project on May 23, 2017, at Corte Madera Town Hall, 300 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera, CA. A public notice will be sent and posted when the final date of the public hearing is determined. The Planning Commission may forward a recommendation to the Council regarding the IS/MND and the project applications at such time. Additional information about the proposed project is available by contacting the Planning Department at 415-927-5067.
