Marin Independent Journal
This photo illustration shows plans for the RH showroom in the Village at Corte Madera mall parking lot. (Provided by Town of Corte Madera)
The Corte Madera Planning Commission Tuesday unanimously signed off on an application for a swanky 46,000-square-foot furniture gallery at the Village at Corte Madera shopping mall.
The Corte Madera-based luxury furniture brand RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, will now take its proposal to the Town Council for consideration. The council is expected to review the project at a public hearing in December, said Phil Boyle, senior planner.
The Tuesday hearing lasted four hours, but the project received rave reviews from residents and business leaders who said the store, which features a cafe and rooftop garden, would be a community asset. There were also critics who were concerned about the building size and traffic it could bring once the store opens.
Commissioners were impressed by the proposal.
“I don’t need to poll everybody, but I think everybody feels that it’s a beautiful building,” said Chairman Peter Chase. “It’s a good project.”
Plans for the project were made public two years ago. RH has two stores at the mall already: one for its general products and another for its baby and child line. If the showroom is approved, the brand would close its existing two mall outlets, Boyle said.
The mall is on the east side of Highway 101, opposite of Corte Madera Town Center. The Village is anchored by Macy’s to the south and Nordstrom to the north.
The new RH store would be a three-story showroom situated at the mall’s east entrance near the Gap clothing store. It would occupy space in the existing parking lot. The first floor would include a 5,800-square-foot cafe that could seat up to 150 patrons. RH also hopes to include a wine bar, which would need separate approval.
The new structure would displace about 180 parking spaces, but mall owners are proposing to lease the gravel lot at the north end of the site, which is used for overflow parking during the holidays. The mall would convert the gravel lot into a permanent parking lot with drought-tolerant landscaping. They plan to make room for up to 455 parking stalls.
The Planning Commission is recommending that the Town Council approve general plan and zoning amendments in the town code to allow that to happen.
Rob Edington, director of development at RH, said that the corporate office has about 500 employees, the Village outlet has 25 to 30 on staff. The new store would create about 60 new jobs.
“At Restoration Hardware, we are invested in the community, we are committed to the community,” he said.
Gary Stymus, president of the Corte Madera Chamber of Commerce, endorsed the project, saying that the RH store would improve the mall and that “a strong and vibrant shopping center is really important in Corte Madera.”
Representatives of the Marin Economic Forum, including Chairman Haden Ongaro and director Robin Sternberg, said the RH company employs Marin residents and that this type of store would stimulate the local economy.
Stan Hoffman, manager of the Village, said he was happy to see the project move forward.
“We feel that the RH project will be a tremendous addition to the Village and our community,” Hoffman said. “They are proposing a beautiful design, a world-class building.”
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