San Rafael, CA – Skywalker Properties, owned by filmmaker George Lucas, has approached the County of Marin with a proposal to remodel its Big Rock Ranch office facilities in Nicasio to provide overnight lodging while staying within its existing footprint and master plan requirements.
Located approximately five miles west of Highway 101 off Lucas Valley Road, the Big Rock Ranch complex was approved for use as multimedia offices with a private theater, cafeteria/dining room, daycare and fitness center, and archive storage. According to the proposal, filed October 29 with the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA), the planned renovations include converting existing office space into 57 private lodging rooms, upgrading the kitchen and general store, and expanding meeting rooms and fitness facilities.
All proposed changes would occur within the existing building footprints, and there would not be any changes to the exterior of the buildings. The application materials state that one of the goals of the proposal is to provide employees and clients with amenities at Big Rock Ranch that are similar to those provided at nearby Skywalker Ranch, also owned by Lucas. The Big Rock remodeling would affect about 24 percent of the total floor area of the approximately 317,000-square-foot complex.
Big Rock Ranch has been underused over the past few years, serving as office space for the nonprofit George Lucas Education Foundation and for Skywalker Properties administrative staff. Previously, Big Rock Ranch had been occupied by Lucasfilm Animation, but in 2006 the staff was moved to the Letterman Digital Arts Facility in San Francisco’s Presidio.
Complete project information will be available at the Planning Division’s office in Suite 308 of the Marin Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Project plans will be available on the Planning Division’s website within the next week.