Community Development Partners Proposes 192-Unit Affordable Project in San Rafael

Community Development Partners has submitted preliminary permit applications to construct a seven-story affordable housing development at 1100 Los Gamos Drive in San Rafael. Situated on a hillside parcel overlooking U.S. Highway 101, the revised proposal calls for an 87-foot-tall building spanning approximately 319,250 square feet. The program features 192 total apartments, comprising 190 deed-restricted units for low- to extremely low-income households alongside two manager units.

Designed by KTGY with landscaping by Sitescapes Inc., the project includes a mix of 30 one-bedrooms, 63 two-bedrooms, 84 three-bedrooms, and 15 four-bedrooms. The residential floor area will encompass 185,900 square feet, supported by a 91,500-square-foot, two-level podium garage accommodating 230 vehicles and 98 bicycles. Property owner Seagull Prime Fund previously sought approval in 2020 for a six-building campus with 20 affordable units and retail before pivoting to the current all-residential, 100% affordable layout.

For builders and lenders, the transition from mixed-income commercial integration to a denser, fully affordable structure highlights how developers are leveraging height and density adjustments to improve project feasibility in suburban Bay Area submarkets.