From the 1970s until the early 2000’s, the families and officers living in the 36 homes and barracks building on the Coast Guard property have been part of the Point Reyes community, with children attending local schools and residents using local businesses.

In 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard designated the Point Reyes Station facility as surplus with the intention of selling it on the open market. After strong community advocacy, in 2016, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that required the Coast Guard to sell the property to the County to be used as permanently affordable homes.

Under current zoning and land use policies, very limited uses could be approved on the site. These restrictions, along with a new septic system, must be addressed before the property can be used as intended under the legislation. The County will acquire the property to use it for permanently affordable homes as part of the Board of Supervisors’ strategy to purchase existing homes as one of the ways to address the local housing crisis. It is particularly difficult to develop in the Coastal Zone because of high land costs and a demanding regulatory environment. West Marin has an acute need for affordable homes, especially for local workers, and purchase of this property will help meet some of those needs.

The homes will be set aside for low- and very-low-income families. Specific income limits have yet to be determined. Consistent with federal civil rights laws, the County will require the Property Manager to conduct affirmative marketing, which means that special efforts will be made to reach out to potential residents who might not normally seek housing due to historical patterns of segregation. The outreach efforts will include Marin and other Bay Area counties.

Households that file an application and meet the income criteria will likely be chosen by lottery. The details of the lottery will be established by the Property Manager and the County. In similar affordable housing developments, all applications filed by the closing date are entered into a randomization log system to establish the lottery standing.

For all affordable housing developments, the household size must be compatible with the unit size.

* The projected timeline for this project was updated in May 2019. *

The Community Advisory Working Group, made up of West Marin residents, employers, employees, and foundations, started meeting in September 2017 to advise the County on public outreach and the Request for Proposals (RFP) process.

In April and July 2018, the Community Advisory Working Group and Marin County Community Development Agency hosted community meetings to gather input on the project.

The County continues to negotiate for the purchase of the property and expects to reach an agreement in 2019 or 2020. After an agreement is reached, the County will be able to issue a RFP for the site.

The Coast Guard Community Working Group and the County of Marin held two public meetings to gather information to include in the Request for Proposal. The preview meeting for Spanish speakers was held from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on April 18. The community meeting for both Spanish and English speakers was held on April 30, from 6:30 – 7:45 p.m. Both meetings took place in the small gym of the West Marin School, located at 11550 State Route 1 in Point Reyes Station.

A second community meeting and listening session was held at the West Marin School’s large gym at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 12^th.

Presentation materials for and recordings of both the April 30^th and July 12^th community meeting can be found on the County’s Coast Guard housing webpage under the “community meetings” collapsible tab.

A purchase agreement for the property will likely be considered by the Board of Supervisors in 2019 and will include time for public comment. In addition, once a developer is selected, they will conduct further public outreach.

In 2014, CLAM participated in a coalition of organizations and local champions that advocated for legislation to require the Point Reyes Coast Guard station to be conveyed to the County for use as affordable housing.

The West Marin Community Land Trust (CLAM) may submit a bid to develop and/or manage the property by responding to the request for proposals (RFP). Because it would be a conflict of interest for an organization to both influence the development of a RFP and respond to it, CLAM is not involved in the Coast Guard Housing project at this time.

Marin County prohibits unfair housing practices in the rental, sale, or financing of housing because of a person’s race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, gender, parental status, marital status, religion, participation in third-party rental subsidy program (e.g., “Section 8” or VASH vouchers), sexual orientation (including gender identity and expression), and age. However, the County’s previous acts of both overt and implicit discriminatory policies and practices created the enduring patterns of segregation and inequitable access to resources and opportunities that persist today.

Fifty years ago, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 abolished discriminatory practices in the housing industry and required that steps be taken to undo the existing repercussions of discrimination by “affirmatively furthering fair housing.” The affirmative obligation of the 1968 mandate was ignored by the federal government for more than forty years until in 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) adopted a rule the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Final Rule. It requires governments to promote fair housing choice and to foster inclusive communities.

To further these goals, the County requires all housing providers to conduct affirmative marketing, in this context it means to promote fair housing and to empower and give special assistance to groups that have historically been disadvantaged. Through an affirmative marketing plan, a housing provider indicates what special efforts they will make to reach out to potential tenants who might not normally seek housing in their project due to historical patterns of segregation. This requires that the housing provider study the market area, learn the target population and design methods to reach out to the target population. Affirmative marketing does not limit choices; it expands choices by actively seeking to reverse the patterns of the past and truly provide for an open and fair housing market where the individual is free to live where they choose. Affirmative marketing does not include specific goals or quotas. However, quantitative data and analysis are essential to planning and monitoring affirmative marketing program effectiveness.

• Critique and improve draft RFP.

• Debrief feedback from the community event.
• Review preliminary draft RFP and provide direction to CDA staff.

• Review and discuss sample RFPs.

• Discuss format and content of follow-up community meeting.

• Debrief feedback from the community event.
• Discuss draft community visioning component of RFP.
• Consider format, content, and outreach for potential follow-up community meeting.

• Review and critique proposed presentation and community engagement plan.
• Assess affirmative outreach/marketing plan for community meetings.
• Receive update on RFP process and timeline.

• Review Point Reyes Community Plan (2001) and land use restrictions.
• Finalize timeline and methods for community engagement.

• Discussion of local preference, affirmative marketing, and applicable Fair Housing obligations.
• Review detailed version of tentative timeline.
• Consider methods for community engagement.

• Hear presentation on history of Coast Guard site.
• Review of working group roles and responsibilities.