In the section titled:

    EMPLOYMENT

                 of  the  booklet titled:

 

Economic Visions and Strategies  

 

FOR THE CITY OF 

 

SAN RAFAEL   

 

Page 8 analyzes San Rafael’s employment picture.

 

As the largest single parcel remaining in East San Rafael, Canalways can help strengthen San Rafael Economic Vision.

 

To produce some of the beneficial economic and life quality changes that the City envisions for San Rafael, may require attracting the highest and best employment use to Canalways.  If the City wishes to integrate other benefits beneficial to people, education, recreation and wildlife at Canalways, then education regarding the site status and changes in land use and developable acreage will be needed.

 

The pictures and  bolded and italicized sections that follow have been added to the following San Rafael Employment section.  These added sections briefly express some of the ways Canalways could help produce a high tech campus which could help retain successful high tech employers.

 

The Canalways group welcomes the opportunities to further explain these ideas to you or your organization.

EMPLOYMENT

MAJOR EMPLOYERS

San Rafael businesses for the most part are small  to medium sized. While there are almost 4,800 businesses in the City, less  than  5% have 100 or more employees. Most large employers are located in Northgate and East San Rafael in the newer and larger buildings although one, Dominican College with 289 employees, is located outside the main business areas. Other major employers are headquartered in San Rafael and have employees spread throughout the City, County, and Bay Area such as West America Bank and San Rafael City Schools. Major employers are also focused in the areas of service, retail and government. The large number of non profit organizations located in the city, including social service agencies, cultural and educational organizations, employ a substantial number of people.

 

Major Employers by Type and Location

 

North San Rafael

High Technology                  Autodesk; Fair Isaac; Panamax; Lucas Arts

FIRE                                       GE Capital Assurance Co.; Auto Club

Government                          County of Marin

Health                                                Kaiser Permanente

Retail                                      Macy’s, Sears

Printing, Publishing             Commerce Clearing House

 

Downtown

Government                          City of San Rafael

Public Utility                          PG&E

Building Related                  Shamrock; Ghilotti Brothers; Maggoria Ghilotti

 

East San Rafael

High Tech                              Lucas Digital, Ltd.                            

Government                          Golden Gate Transit

Building Related                  Home Depot; Orchard Supply; Rafael Lumber

Other                                      Phoenix Leasing; Marin Resource Recovery.

 

West Francisco Boulevard

 Retail                                     Borders Books; Toys R Us.

 

Source: Chamber of Commerce Economic Profile 1996

 

Today High Tech plays a prominent role in every thriving city, as the above box depicts and as the Economic Vision & Strategy on page 22 states:

 

High Technology Businesses - Marin-based companies are incubators for employees; they learn skills and then move on. Marin has gathered a critical mass of high tech businesses so that employees are drawn to the employment available in the area, not just a specific company. Marin County is one of the four software game centers in the world. Companies need "smart" building space - buildings with special electric service capacity and advanced commu­nication technology for future high technology demands. As an industry, high tech is looking for alliances with education to provide a needed work-force, with government to solve problems and with the community to assure their support and connection.                                                                    Page 22        Economic Fact Report

 

The Economic Vision’s statement from above,  “Marin-based companies are incubators for employees; they learn skills and then move on,” is too often correct.    Growing high-tech companies increasingly want campus settings with, as the Economic Vision statement from above points out:

“ ‘smart’ building space - buildings with special electric service capacity and advanced commu­nication technology for future high technology demands.”

 

Canalways could provide a campus site designed with state of the art technology, enhanced open space, and great Bay views.  It would stack up against any site in the North Bay.

 

 

 

 

Such a designed site could be integrated with an on-site  interpretive center that studied bird and critter life attracted to the deepened City pond, enhanced environment and completed Shoreline Park.

 

 

 

 

 

COMPETITION

OTHER CITIES IN MARIN

Space for Development

The Novato General Plan allows for the future development of 5,465 new housing units, 3.4 million sq. ft. commercial, 2.1 million sq. ft. industrial, and 1.3 million sq. ft. office development. The most notable development project is Hamilton Field which includes 845 homes, 740,000 sq. ft. office, a 75,000 sq. ft. shopping center and substantial open space. It also sets the stage for future construction of a hotel and conference center and a large sports field complex.

 

Other cities in the County are essentially built-out. In the County unincorpo­rated areas, the majority of the remaining development potential is for resi­dential projects; commercial and industrial uses are local neighborhood serving.

 

San Rafael is nearly built-out and has limited sites to accommodate a major corporate structure or a retail facility. Novato on the other hand, is the only city in the County with enough available land to sustain major industrial and commercial growth. With their new General Plan, and aggressive pro-business attitude, Novato looks to becoming the economic center of Marin County.

 

High Technology

In San Rafael, the presence of high technology industries is significant. The largest software company in the city, as well as the county, is Autodesk, which generated $454.6 million in revenues in 1995. Figures from the September 1996 issue of The Business Journal indicate a 50% increase in the number of firms located in Marin from 1992 to 1995. Most of this increase is in small start up companies located in homes or in small office spaces.

 

Marin County is encouraging high technology based jobs in the information, communication, and software fields to make the entire county a high tech­nology hub as stated in the County Economic Development Element. Novato has accepted Marin County's direction and as stated in their Economic Development Element, is targeting companies that deal in high technology. This would include information/knowledge based industries such as CD-ROM and multimedia, biotech firms; and green industries which includes recycled materials and energy conservation products. One of Novato's newest technological additions is the Buck Center for Research in Aging. This research facility consists of a 220,000 square foot laboratory, along with 135 units for housing BCRA personnel. Currently Novato is home to Broderbund, the second largest software company in the county.

 

Many start up high technology businesses, especially in software develop­ment, are located in Sausalito's Winship project. The area is popular due to  the small spaces, proximity to other similar uses, and attractive appearance. It is a significant competitor for small to medium sized high technology busi­nesses.

 

Page 28         Economic Fact Report -  San Rafael Vision

 

Canalways could provide a unique campus setting that today’s growing high tech firms desire to build as their long term home. It could also be integrated with an East San Rafael School, if acreage were made available to add  school site acreage to the developable acreage.  Some of the Major Employers listed by the City could help make such a site happen.

If Lucas Arts wins the Presidio competition, San rafael is projected to lose “at least 1,500 jobs.”  Such loses have happened before with