The Town of Corte Madera is processing an application, jointly submitted by Corte Madera Village LLC and Restoration Hardware (RH), to construct a stand-alone RH retail store of approximately 46,000 square feet to be located on the east side of The Village in the existing parking lot. Story poles have been installed in the parking lot in front of The Gap and will remain up until November 6th.The first public hearing on the project is scheduled before the Planning Commission on November 14th.
Please read the information below, provided by Senior Planner Phil Boyle, to learn more about the project and the associated story poles, and to view times when associates will be on site to answer any questions from the public regarding the story poles.
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Dear Corte Madera Residents:
As many of you know the Town of Corte Madera is processing an application, jointly submitted by Corte Madera Village LLC and Restoration Hardware (RH), to construct a stand-alone RH retail store of approximately 46,000 square feet to be located on the east side of The Village in the existing parking lot. The building would have two levels plus an open-air roof-top courtyard surrounding an enclosed scenery loft. The ground level would include approximately 5,800 square feet of cafe space that would seat up to 150 patrons.
As part of the Project, the Applicants would enter into a development agreement with the Town of Corte Madera whereby the Town and Applicant would establish the rights and obligations for use of the gravel lot for parking for The Village including improvements and maintenance. The Town would continue to own the lot and record a nonexclusive public parking easement on the parcel. Some community events that have taken place on the lot in the past would continue to be allowed. The gravel lot would be paved and striped to accommodate up to 455 parking spaces. Drought tolerant landscaping, including approximately 56 trees, would be installed in planters. All lighting would be energy-efficient and shielded, conforming to “dark sky” requirements. All stormwater would be captured on site and treated, prior to discharge to the existing storm drain system.
Story Poles
Story poles have been installed in the parking lot in front of The Gap and will remain up until November 6th. They are being displayed at this time to minimize disruption to the center during the holiday shopping period which begins the first week in November. The story poles will be up for approximately three weeks as opposed to the standard two weeks before the public hearing. They will be coming down after November 6th and will not be put back up.
Construction of the story poles will be a significant undertaking given the size of the project proposed and the project's location, in an active shopping center parking lot. In order to continue to allow for use of the parking area, the story poles will be located to provide viewers with accurate information about the proposed project location and the height of structure at key points of the roof, but orange netting connecting all the poles has not been installed because it would require erecting additional poles in the middle of the parking area.
Ten (10) story poles have been installed and are located as follows:
- Four (4) of the poles are erected for each corner of the new RH Gallery. The height of these poles would be approximately twenty (20) feet which is the top of the parapet of the Second Floor Terrace on each corner. The top of the pole indicates the height.
- Four of the poles are erected for each corner of the Second Floor of the new RH Gallery. The height of these poles is approximately thirty five (35) feet, which is the top of the parapet on the Roof Top Garden (Third Floor Terrace). The top of the pole indicates the height.
- Two (2) poles are erected for the ridgeline of the Roof Top Conservatory on the Third Floor of the new RH Gallery. The height of these poles is forty-six (46) feet. The top of the pole indicates the height of the Conservatory.
RH has information related to the story poles within their current RH retail store as well as information at the East Entry Plaza of The Village. RH employees are available to answer any questions related to the story poles or otherwise schedule meetings for informational details, if requested. An RH associate will be at the site to answer questions at the following times:
October 18 (Wednesday)4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
October 19 (Thursday)4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
October 21 (Saturday)10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
October 25 (Wednesday)4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
October 26 (Thursday)4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
October 28 (Saturday)10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The story poles were installed and certified by a licensed Civil Engineer and a licensed Surveyor.
A description and plans of the proposed improvements to the gravel lot are scheduled to be on display near the entrance to the gravel lot soon.
The first public hearing on the project is scheduled before the Planning Commission on November 14th.
For further information about this project please visited the Town’s website at http://www.townofcortemadera.org/563/Village-Expansion-Project-Restoration-Ha or contact Phil Boyle, Senior Planner, 415-927-5067 or pboyle@tcmmail.org.
