Return to Novato General Plan MenuAppendix A: Novato Neighborhoods Introduction
This Appendix summarizes General Plan policies that have a particular effect on the City's neighborhoods. This Appendix is not an adopted part of the General Plan. It is intended to summarize how the Plan will affect the City's neighborhoods. No policies or programs are presented in this Appendix which are not in the General Plan.
The seven districts are those used in the 1992 report Target 2000, taking Novato's Park and Recreation Facilities into the 21st Century, prepared by the Parks and Recreation Commission. This Appendix contains information from that document, as well as from the General Plan and background reports.
General Plan policies, in addition to those described in this Appendix, apply to the entire City, including each district, whether or not this Appendix refers to all plan policies. These district descriptions are not as detailed as a neighborhood plan or specific plan, but simply focus on policies and programs affecting that district.
The following sections describe the location, population, and housing characteristics (including areas both inside and outside the City limits), environmental resources and hazards, major transportation facilities and other public facilities in each district. It then summarizes land use policies that will guide development of major vacant or underdeveloped areas in the district.
1. Northwest
This neighborhood extends from Highway 101 west to the City limits, from the slopes of Mount Burdell south to Novato Boulevard and San Marin Drive. It includes the San Marin, Partridge Knolls, San Ramon, and Miwok/Simmons neighborhoods.
The area consists primarily of single-family homes. Much of it developed under the 1961 San Marin Master Plan. The 1990 population was about 7,100 with approximately 2,400 housing units,
The Mount Burdell County Open Space area is a major scenic resource. The Olompali State Historical Park, outside the City limits, is adjacent to the Mount Burdell Open Space area to the north. Various hiking and equestrian trails extend through these areas, and it will be important to preserve existing access easements.
Novato Creek and Simmons Creek are subject to the Plan's streamside protection policies, including setbacks to protect riparian habitat. Novato Creek is adjacent to various parks in the City, including Miwok and Pioneer Parks, and portions of its banks could be enhanced as a connecting greenway for walking and viewing.
Novato Boulevard and San Marin Drive are the area's main roadways; there is regular bus service along both roads. There is peak hour congestion along San Marin Drive near Highway 101.
The district contains San Marin High School and San Ramon Elementary School. Pioneer Memorial and Miwok are the two developed parks in the neighborhood. There are numerous private mini-parks within residential subdivisions, recreation facilities at the two schools, and the private Rolling Hills Country Club. The development of the City's 100-acre O'Hair Park, south of Novato Boulevard, will provide additional recreational facilities for residents of this district.
General Plan Land Use Policies Relative to Northwest
The 180 Buck Center for Research on Aging site is on the northern edge of the City. The Plan designates the site Research/Education-Institutional, which allows the research facility and associated housing in the development approved by the County.
Much of the undeveloped land in the district consists of steep slopes and unstable soils. The General Plan specifies requirements to assure structural safety, preserve environmental values, and protect views.
The 63-acre vacant San Marin Business Park, northwest of San Marin Drive and Redwood Highway, is designated Business and Professional Office. This would allow offices hospitals and administrative uses along with ancillary commercial and service establishments. Development would be clustered to avoid unstable soils and protect views.
The two surplus school sites, San Carlos and San Andreas, are designated Medium Density Detached Residential (4 to 7 units per acre), and is intended to be compatible with surrounding neighborhood.
The plan designates the San Marin Plaza neighborhood shopping center as Neighborhood Commercial, which would allow both retail and housing.
2. West
West Novato extends from McClay Road west to the City limits and from Novato Boulevard south to Big Rock Ridge. Much of the area to the west is managed by the Marin County Open Space District. The 1990 population of the district was 9,630, and it contained about 3,000 housing units, mostly single-family. The Pleasant Valley neighborhood is partly in this district, and the Wild Horse Valley, and Indian Valley neighborhoods, outside the City limits, are adjacent.
Environmental resources include the Big Rock Ridge open space area, with its connecting hiking and equestrian trails and trailheads. Novato, Wilson, and Warner Creeks extend through the district.
Much of the remaining vacant land in the district is on steep slopes with unstable soils. Plan policies require special measures to assure structural stability, preserve environmental resources, and protect views.
Novato Boulevard, on which there is regular bus service, is the main east-west travel route.
Sinaloa Middle School and Pleasant Valley Elementary School are in the neighborhood. The County's Stafford Lake Park, to the west, connects with Miwok Park via a bike path. The district also contains the Marin Highlands City park, recreation facilities at the two schools, private equestrian facilities, the Novato Youth Center, and the Indian Valley golf course, open to the public.
General Plan Land Use Policies Relative to West:
The 220-acre Doe Hill site, immediately west of the City limits and south of Novato Boulevard has been purchased by the County Open Space District. This site contains steep wooded hillsides and grazing land. It provides a visual backdrop for the western entrance to Novato.
Plan policies require setbacks and other measures along creeks to enhance the riparian environment and minimize flood hazards. Areas alongside creeks could be improved as greenways connecting parks and activity centers.
The Novato Square neighborhood shopping center at Novato Boulevard and Wilson is designated Neighborhood Commercial, which would permit a combination of retail and housing.
3. Southwest
This area extends generally southwest to the City limits from the interchange of South Novato Boulevard and Highway 101. It contains the Marin Golf and Country Club, Ignacio, Rafael Village, Domingo Canyon, and Pacheco Valle neighborhoods. Loma Verde is an unincorporated pocket in the district.
1990 population was 9,810. About half of the 3,840 housing units are single-family and the balance are apartments and condominiums. It includes including Rafael Village, which is surplus military housing along Ignacio Boulevard. Pacheco Valle, the southernmost part of the district, has attached condominium units and single-family homes.
The topography of the district consists of three parallel spurs of Big Rock Ridge and narrow intervening valleys. Environmental resources include the Pacheco Valle open space area and the dedicated open space areas near Loma Verde, managed by the Marin County Open Space District, and the Marin Golf and Country Club. The General Plan designates Big Rock Ridge as a scenic ridgeline, and development standards require protection of views of the ridge. Arroyo San Jose and Ignacio Creek, where streamside protection policies apply, extend through the district. Some areas alongside these creeks would be appropriate for public access.
Much of the remaining vacant land is on steep slopes with unstable soils, and special development measures to assure structural safety, preservation of environmental resources, and view protection, apply.
Ignacio Boulevard and Alameda del Prado, which contain regular bus service, are the main travel routes through the district. Sunset Parkway provides a connection between South Novato Boulevard and Ignacio Boulevard. Sunset is often used as a freeway diversion route when Highway 101 is congested.
Major public facilities in the district include the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus, the Enfrente Road Fire Station and the Loma Verde Elementary School. The City has recently completed development of the 10-acre Josef Hoog Neighborhood Park in the Domingo Canyon area. Two park sites and the Pacheco Valle community facility site may be dedicated to the City but are now undeveloped. The area includes the private, 18-hole Marin Golf and Country Club.
General Plan Land Use Policies Relative to Southwest:
The 60 undeveloped acres remaining in the upper portion of the Anderson-Rowe project site are designated for a combination of low-density residential and medium density multi-family residential uses. Plan policies require locating these units to avoid unstable soils, preserve environmental resources, and protect views.
Rafael Village, the area of surplus military housing along Ignacio Boulevard would develop in accordance with the Hamilton Reuse Plan now being prepared by the Hamilton Reuse Planning Authority. The Pacheco Ranch winery, which is under an agricultural preserve contract, would continue in agricultural use. The adjacent 17-acre vacant parcel, which contains steep hillsides, is designated for Low Density Residential, at 1 - 5 units per acre.
The northerly portion of the Independent Journal facility, adjacent to Highway 101, is designated as Business and Professional Office plus Neighborhood Commercial to serve the Pacheco Valley area.
Two neighborhood shopping centers, Pacheco Plaza at Entrada and Enfrente and Ignacio Center at Ignacio Boulevard and Alameda del Prado, are designated Neighborhood Commercial, which would permit a combination of retail and housing.
4. Central
District Four includes Downtown Novato and other surrounding predominantly residential areas bounded by San Marin Drive on the north, Highway 101 on the east, Arroyo Avichi Creek and the City limits on the south, and McClay Road and Simmons Lane on the west.
The 1990 population of 7,500 includes a high proportion of senior citizens. The 2,800 housing units in the district include a wide variety of types and densities. About half are single-family detached, including Novato Heights and the adjacent area north to Center Road. The Northwest Quadrant, near the Downtown, contains a mix of older, small single-family homes and apartment buildings. The area around Diablo and Center Road contains apartments and condominium units. The neighborhoods around Seventh Street and Carmel Drive and around Lamont and Reichert Avenues have predominantly single-family detached homes with some multi-family homes and commercial at their peripheries. The area also contains a mobilehome park and a RV park along Redwood Boulevard. North of Olive Avenue is Redwood Mobilehome Park, with Dean's RV Park north of Redwood Boulevard.
Various hills provide a scenic backdrop for the urban development east of Downtown, and in the northwest and southwest parts of the district. Plan policies require that views be protected in any development project. The Old Town area along Grant Avenue east of Redwood Highway was previously designated as Historic District.
Novato Creek and Warner Creek extend through the center of the district. Streamside policies in the General Plan require setbacks and other measures to protect from flood damage and preserve environmental resources. Areas alongside the creeks could be enhanced to provide needed open space and connect activity centers.
Traffic congestion is an issue in Central Novato, on Highway 101 and on Novato Boulevard between Grant and Diablo. South Novato Boulevard will be widened to four lanes with a median from Diablo to Rowland. The General Plan proposes extending the High Occupancy Vehicle Lane north from Highway 37 to Atherton Avenue and retaining the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Right-of-Way for public transit use.
There is regular bus service along Redwood Boulevard, Novato and South Novato Boulevards, and Highway 101.
The City's major public facilities are in this district, including the City Hall campus and the Community House, the San Ramon Way Fire Station; and Lu Sutton Elementary School. The Hill Recreation Area includes the Margaret Todd Senior Center and extensive recreation facilities. Developed parks include Lee Gerner, Marion, and Stafford Grove.
The Downtown Specific Plan Committee is considering inclusion of a new community center/performing arts facility downtown and a multi-modal transit center.
General Plan Land Use Policies Relative to Central:
The General Plan calls for retention and improvement of the area north of Downtown for Commercial/Industrial uses, rather than replacing existing home improvement and light industrial businesses with retail as contemplated in the 1981 Plan.
The 47-acre Pinheiro Ranch site, north of Downtown, is designated for Low-Density Residential and Mixed Use. The flat part of the property could be developed with housing and commercial space along Redwood Boulevard.
The land on the southeast corner of Redwood and DeLong is also designated for Mixed Use.
Farther south, the Novato Creek Landing site, next to the freeway and south of the "windmill house," is designated for Business and Professional Office. The Diablo Triangle site, near the intersection of Diablo and South Novato Boulevard, is designated for Medium Density Multiple Family Residential.
Two undeveloped areas, the hillside west of Seventh Street and the hillside south of Center Road, are designated for Very Low-Density Residential, ranging between two acres per unit to one acre per unit, with development clustered to avoid areas of unstable soils.
Three neighborhood shopping centers are designated Neighborhood Commercial, which permits both retail and housing: Novato Downtown Center at Seventh and Grant, Novato Fair at Diablo/Redwood/South Novato Boulevard, and Nave Center at Center and South Novato Boulevard.
The City adopted the Northwest Quadrant Plan for the area northwest of the intersection of Redwood Boulevard and Grant Avenue in 1977. Policies of the Plan were incorporated into the 1981 General Plan. The objective of this plan was to maintain a mixed residential area near Downtown, with a high population concentration to support Downtown activities, while preserving the existing small, single-family homes. Single-family and multiple-family units are currently allowed throughout the area.
The Northwest Quadrant Plan includes a sliding scale of maximum densities: two units on lots less than 7,500 square feet, one unit per 2,000 square feet for lots 7,500 to 15,000 square feet, and one unit per 1,875 square feet for lots 15,000 square feet and larger.
Residents have expressed concerns that under present regulations, sound single-family homes have continued to be displaced by multi-family units. The General Plan calls for preparing a Specific Plan for the Northwest Quadrant.
5. Midwest
This area is bounded generally by Arroyo Avichi Creek on the north, Highway 101 on the east, the Anderson Rowe property on the south, and the City limits on the west, including College of Marin Indian Valley Campus . Its neighborhoods include Rancho Village, Woodland Heights, Sunset/Lynwood, Crossroads/Cheda Knolls, and Pacheco Ranch Estates.
The 1990 population of the area, 8,500 was approximately 16 percent of the planning area total. Most of the housing is single-family detached, but there are condominiums, townhouses, and apartments in the Crossroad/Cheda Knolls and Redwood Boulevard/Rowland Boulevard area. There are large estate-type homes in the hills above College of Marin Indian Valley Campus .
Environmental resources include the publicly owned Scottsdale marsh and adjacent wetlands areas, the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus and the surrounding public open space, and Arroyo Avichi Creek. Development in any of these areas is subject to General Plan policies encouraging preservation of environmental resources. Much of the remaining vacant land contains unstable soils on steep slopes, and would be subject to appropriate development standards.
South Novato Boulevard is the main travel route through the area. It will be widened to four lanes with a median from Diablo to Rowland. Golden Gate Transit provides regularly scheduled bus service on South Novato Boulevard.
The district contains a concentration of public school facilities, Novato High School, San Jose Middle School, and Lynwood and Rancho Elementary Schools, all of which provide extensive recreation facilities. Arroyo Avichi Park and the Redwood Boulevard Fire Station are also in the district.
General Plan Land Use Policies Relative to Midwest:
The General Plan designates the 34-acre hillside area west of Sunset Parkway Very Low Density Residential. Development would be clustered outside areas with environmental constraints.
The plan designates the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus as Community Facilities, Public Utilities and Civic Uses which would allow development of a Digital Village in conjunction with the College of Marin facility.
6. Northeast
This district includes the entire area north of Highway 37 and east of Highway 101 to the Petaluma River and northern City limits. Neighborhoods include Bahia and residential areas near the Olive School, Poplar Terrace, Davidson Street, and Atherton Avenue. The unincorporated Black Point community is adjacent. The new Vintage Oaks regional shopping center is southeast of the Highway 101/Rowland Boulevard interchange. There are some scattered industrial uses in the Bay plain, including the sewage treatment plant.
The 1990 population of the area was 4,380. More than 90 percent of the area's 1,610 housing units are single-family detached, some on large semi-rural lots. There are a mobile home park and a 15-unit apartment complex adjacent to Highway 101. The Bahia development includes some moderate-density attached water-oriented units. Nearby on Bugeia Lane is the Valley Memorial Park. The County has recently approved a development of residential estate-size lots on Pinheiro Ridge.
Much of the area consists of bay plains which have been diked and filled for agriculture. Under General Plan policies, agricultural lands would be encouraged to remain in agricultural use. The parts of the area below mean sea level are subject to flooding. The Marin County Flood Control District has purchased acreage adjacent to Novato Creek for ponding. General Plan policies would require careful review of development in flood plains.
Other environmental resources that will be protected under General Plan policies are Atherton Ridge, Olive Ridge, Reservoir Hill at Hamilton Field, and Deer Island. Streamside protection policies apply to Novato Creek.
Major travel routes in the area are Atherton Avenue, Bugeia Lane, and Olive Avenue, as well as the adjacent Highway 101 and Highway 37. There is regular bus service along Atherton and Olive. Marin County has programmed improvements to Atherton Avenue, including left turn lanes and shoulder improvements. The General Plan recommends that Caltrans extend the High Occupancy Vehicle Lane in Highway 101 from Highway 37 north to Atherton Avenue.
The Rush Creek Open Space area, outside the City limits, and Deer Island are owned by the Marin County Open Space District. Public facilities in the area include Olive Elementary School and adjacent park, the Atherton Avenue Fire Station, Slade Park, various mini parks, and the County's Petaluma River Boat Ramp. Private facilities include the Olive Ridge Tennis Club and Bahia Boat Ramp.
General Plan Land Use Policies Relative to Northeast:
The General Plan recommends that the 100-acre unincorporated area west of Gnoss Field be designated Light Industrial/Office, in conformance with industrial development as shown in the Marin Countywide Plan and 1981 Novato General Plan.
The approximately 1,000 undeveloped acres of the Bahia property are designated for a combination of Low Density Residential (1.1 to 5 units per acre) and Conservation (1 unit per 10-60 acres).
Undeveloped portions of Black Point outside the City Limits are designated Very Low Density Residential (up to 1 unit per acre). The Novato General Plan recommends continued implementation of the policies of the County's Black Point Community Plan excluding those areas in the Urban Services Area (USA) as defined by LAFCO, which specifies residential densities from 1 unit per acre to 1 unit per five acres.
Other undeveloped hillside areas are designated for Very Low Density Residential, up to 1 unit per acre.
The area north of Novato Creek and adjacent to Highway 101, where a new hospital is proposed, is designated Community Facilities, Public Utilities and Civic Uses.
The undeveloped area south of the Vintage Oaks Shopping Center is designated Business and Professional Office.
7. Southeast
The southeast quadrant of the City extends south of Highway 37 and east of Highway 101. It contains Hamilton Field, the unincorporated Bel Marin Keys area, and the southern portion of the unincorporated Black Point community. The Bel Marin Keys Industrial Park is near the intersection of Highway 101 and Bel Marin Keys Boulevard.
The 1990 population was 6,290. There were about 2,150 housing units, in addition to the 950 units of former military housing at Hamilton. This included single-family detached units at Bel Marin Keys, the private Lanham housing development at Hamilton and two mobile home parks.
The City has approved a plan for development of 450 acres of Hamilton Field with 708 housing units, up to 845,000 square feet of commercial space, and 200 acres of parks and open space. The Hamilton Reuse Plan, prepared by the Hamilton Reuse Planning Authority, designates uses for the remaining 1,200 acres of the surplus military property. The County is processing a proposal for expansion of the Bel Marin Keys development.
With the exception of Black Point Ridge and the low hills southwest of Hamilton Field, the entire district is a historic Bay plain formerly subject to tidal action. Most of the area is below mean sea level and is subject to flooding. Novato Creek extends through the area and enters the Bay near the mouth of the Petaluma River. Some lands now used for agriculture would have greater economic potential for agricultural use if they were irrigated. The General Plan establishes controls over development in the environmentally constrained portions of this district, to protect environmental resources and minimize risks from flooding and earthquakes.
Bel Marin Keys Boulevard is the main travel route in the area, in addition to the adjacent Highway 101 and Highway 37. There is severe congestion during morning and evening commute hours near Bel Marin Keys Industrial Park. There is regular bus service to the Industrial Park, but not to the rest of the area. The General Plan recommends a new road extending on the east side of the freeway to improve access between Bel Marin Keys Industrial Park and Highway 37.
Public facilities include Hamilton Elementary School, with adjacent playing fields, and facilities provided by the Bel Marin Keys Community Services District, which is outside the City. Hamilton Field contains extensive recreation facilities once used by military personnel. The regional Bay Area Ridge Trail is proposed to extend through the area.
General Plan Land Use Policies Relative to Southeast:
The 164-acre Leveroni site, southeast of the 101/37 highway interchange, which is outside the City limits and used for agricultural purposes, is designated as Conservation (1 unit per 10-60 acres), and Light Industrial/Office on the westerly 14 acres adjoining Hamilton Drive. Its constraints include wetlands, flooding hazards, and soil instability.
The 238-acre Black Point Golf Links site is designated for a combination of Rural Residential on the upland, wooded portion and Conservation (1 unit per 10-60 acres) on diked historic Bay lands which are now used partially for agriculture.
The General Plan recommends restoration of wetlands on the runway at Hamilton Field.
The Plan recommends designation of the portion of the St. Vincent's property, which adjoins Hamilton Field but is outside the City Limits, for Conservation (1 unit per 10-60 acres). The land has wetlands, flooding, and soil instability constraints and is now used for agriculture.
Return to Novato General Plan Menu