Mill Valley residents Matt and Jan Mathews purchased the property at 129 Miller Avenue 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.
Under the name MV Heritage, the Mathews are proposing to adapt and revitalize the 42,500-square-foot site, which has approximately 17,647 square feet of existing building space. Some of the buildings have been revitalized and more work is proposed, including upgrading buildings, parking and landscaping for new commercial uses.
The site currently is home to the Guideboat, Ambatalia and Bloomingayles retail spaces.
To do the proposed work, the project requires a re-zoning from RM, Residential Multi-Family, to NC, Neighborhood Commercial with PD, Planned Development Overlay and HO, Historic Zoning Overlays.
The environmental review, namely an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND), was prepared by the City pursuant to the guidelines of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It determined that the proposed project would present “potentially significant” environmental impacts but that the implementation of mitigation measures would either avoid or reduce identified environmental impacts to a less than significant level.
The proposed rezoning is consistent with the MV General Plan 2040 land use designation for the site of Downtown Commercial. The PD, Planned Development and HO, Historic Overlay Zones are proposed to establish the types of uses allowed, address noise and the hours of operation, as well as incorporate “Good Neighbor” requirements, Design Standards and other measures to ensure the project operates in a manner suited to its unique location and historic character.
Once the Commission has completed its hearing on the project, the City Council will conduct a final review.
Learn More:
- The Mill Valley Lumber Yard project was previously the subject of two Study Sessions before the Commission, on May 27, 2014 and November 12, 2014.
- Review the Draft IS/MND, available to the community at City Hall (26 Corte Madera Ave., the Public Library (375 Throckmorton Avenue) or on the City’s Planning webpage through April 5. Here’s the full MVLY project page with supporting documents.
Participate:
- Attend the Planning Commission meeting: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 7:00 pm, City Hall Council Chambers.
- Watch the Meetings: Watch the webcast of the meeting. Watch the cablecast.
- Submit comments by April 5 to Senior Planner Lisa Newman at lnewman@cityofmillvalley.org or at the following address: City of Mill Valley, Department of Planning and Building, 26 Corte Madera Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941.