San Rafael’s Big Housing Shift | San Francisco News

San Rafael is tearing down its historic Northgate Mall — a 1964 landmark with a cable car ride — to make way for a massive 1,400-home mixed-use development, plus shops, green spaces, and a new Good Earth store. Other big projects include converting a downtown Safeway into 300+ apartments and building affordable rentals nearby. Housing advocates say Marin desperately needs these units, but critics worry about tall buildings, loss of neighborhood character, and lack of community input — especially after the city disbanded its Design Review Board. With demolition set to take four months and construction costs soaring, the pace of change is jarring — especially compared to slower housing growth elsewhere in Marin. While the push aims to solve decades of shortages, affordable housing support remains uneven across the county. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/c571256ee5ce3434