WinCup Site Becoming Apartment-Retail Complex

Out with the insulation, in with the habitation.

For four decades, the column of steam rising from the factory next to the freeway in Corte Madera testified to the plant’s production of styrene-foam insulating coffee cups, bowls and food containers. But the steam rises no more.

Georgia-based WinCup recently transferred its local operations to expanded facilities in Arizona, and the factory’s 4.5-acre site at 195-205 Tamal Vista Blvd. has been sold to MacFarlane Partners, an award-winning San Francisco real estate investment and development firm that plans to build a 180-unit apartment and retail complex on the property.

“MacFarlane is committed to acquiring and developing infill sites that promote smart growth, urban revitalization and sustainability,” says Susan Smartt, MacFarlane’s managing director of development.

According to Smartt, that means building in areas that are walkable, bikeable and offer easy access to shopping, entertainment, public transportation and other urban amenities. She says the Tamal Vista site fits the bill.

“It’s within walking distance of transit — there’s a bus stop right at the corner that goes into the city, there’s the ferry terminal about five minutes away,” she says. “We were very attracted by the presence of that bike path [directly across the street], and you can walk to some of the schools, you can walk to Larkspur, you can walk to Corte Madera. We have beautiful weather in southern Marin—that was all part of the appeal to us.”

Smartt stresses the new $68 million complex incorporates environmentally friendly construction and design elements.

“We have a huge commitment to sustainability and green building in this organization,” she says, noting that MacFarlane will be looking at using low-off-gassing materials, natural recycled materials and building components, water-saving plumbing fixtures, drought-resistant landscaping, energy-efficient appliances and semi-impervious pavement (which reduces runoff) in the project.

“I’m also starting to investigate electric charging stations in the parking areas in anticipation of electric cars coming up,” she adds. “We’re looking a little forward to thinking that electric cars are going to be really popular in Marin just like the Prius is now.”

Finally, Smartt says local hiring in the construction phase will be a priority. “It’s going to be a direction that we give to the contractor as we go forward—” she says, “using local businesses as much as we can to keep the money that we spend in the community.”

So far, Corte Madera’s town government .

“The best aspect of it is to have conveniently located, new, well-designed housing,” says Corte Madera Mayor Alexandra Cock. “We created a new zoning overlay district to allow for 180 units at 40 units per acre, but they still have to go through the planning process in terms of the actual design.”

Smartt says her firm is working on that design now and will have something to show the town soon.

“In the next 30 to 60 days we’ll be out there beginning to meet with community members and staff and city council, planning — anybody who’s interested,” she says. “We’re long-term holders of real estate, so we don’t look at just building buildings; we look at really becoming a part of the community.”

According to Cock, if the planning commission approves the design and no one appeals the decision, the project can go ahead without further action by the town council. “But there’s public input as part of the planning commission process,” she says.

So far, public concerns have focused on the additional population density in the area and the corresponding potential problems with traffic congestion and bicycle/pedestrian safety.

“We’re going to have to wait and see until they come up with their actual plan,” says Cock, “but I commented at the council meeting when we were considering the overlay district that 180 units on that site is a lot of units — a lot of new people. Hopefully we will be able to encourage people who live there to use other forms of [alternative] transportation.”

Cock sees these new apartments as appealing to local seniors, who might want to sell their house and move into an apartment but want to stay in Corte Madera.

She also notes that 10 percent of the apartments will be designated for low-income residents, “which is good for people who work in the town especially . . . so that people who work here don’t have to commute long distances. Ideally we will see some of those people move into these affordable units at the new apartments.”

If all goes well, Smartt says the old WinCup factory will be demolished and construction on the new complex will begin early next year, with completion scheduled for the third quarter of 2013.

“It’s recycling an old industrial building into what we believe will be a really wonderful community,” she says.