In June 1964, on the opening day of Northgate Mall in San Rafael, shoppers charged into the Emporium, its flagship store, before the ceremonial ribbon could even be cut, the Daily Independent Journal reported at the time. A reporter for the publication overheard one woman, a redhead in a green print dress, sum up the anticipation of the crowd during opening remarks best: “I wish they’d get this over with.” 

Once doors did open, hundreds explored the 200,000-square-foot store, known as the “Big E.” The store featured glass-sided escalators, a beauty counter and wind-up cars in the toy department. Shoppers also enjoyed free rides on a motorized San Francisco cable car. The then-open-air mall included raised planters, reflecting pools and a sculptural fountain. 

By March 1965, the North Bay mall was bustling with even more businesses, like the men’s clothing store Roos-Atkins and perennial mall fixture See’s Candies. Undeveloped land surrounded the shopping center, a post from the Marin History Museum noted. 

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But the retail environment has changed a lot in the past half-century.

A rendering of Northgate Town Square, a proposed redevelopment in San Rafael, Calif.

In May of this year, cranes began demolishing the mall to make way for a new mixed-use development. Crews started with the two-story, postmodern-style building that housed the now-defunct Sears. Dubbed Northgate Town Square, the project includes 1,422 homes, some retail space, outdoor plazas and green spaces. It will also include the newest location of Marin’s homespun, cult-favorite grocery store, Good Earth Natural Foods.

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The project is part of an influx of development proposals, poised to bring thousands of new housing units to San Rafael, said the city’s community and economic development director, Micah Hinkle. Since 2024, housing projects in the city of about 59,000 have surged to an average of 1,403 units approved for development annually compared with the average of 188 housing units a year between 2018 and 2023, according to a March report. 

“It’s one thing to entitle development;........

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