San Rafael, CA – For over three years, a local tax on visitors has been in place for coastal and rural parts of western Marin County, with the goal of generating revenue to address the effects of tourism on those communities. The revenue is generated through Measure W, an increased transient occupancy tax (TOT) for short-term rentals established in 2019. The County allocates Measure W revenue to community housing projects on an ongoing basis.
Measure W tax generates roughly $1.2 million each year, about half of which may be devoted to housing-related projects in West Marin.
Recently, a working group comprised of people who live and/or work in West Marin helped the Community Development Agency (CDA) update the priorities for funding community housing with the increased tax revenue. The priorities were adopted by the Marin County Board of Supervisors on May 10.
Measure W increased West Marin’s TOT rate from 10% to 14% for hotels, bed & breakfasts, and other short-term rentals and applied a 4% tax to commercial campground visitors. The geographical boundaries affected by the tax rate increase include all of coastal West Marin from Muir Beach to Dillon Beach and inland communities, including Nicasio and the San Geronimo Valley.
The tax measure generates roughly $1.2 million each year, about half of which may be devoted to housing-related projects. CDA is the County of Marin department that oversees the Measure W Fund for Community Housing and works closely with the community working group to assess needs and consider priorities for allocating funds.
The funding allocations for projects serving West Marin will be based on the following updated priorities:
- Housing needs study – A study of the Measure W Tax Area establishing a baseline understanding of housing market conditions, needs, and barriers.
- Housing production – Funding to support the acquisition, development, and preservation of housing for the West Marin population and workforce, including permanent rental/ homeownership housing as well as transitional/temporary rental housing.
- Housing predevelopment – Funding to support housing projects and determine feasibility, including activities such as legal and land use evaluation, engineering, and site design.
- Direct housing assistance – Funding to help stabilize West Marin families and individuals at risk of losing current housing and in need of support to acquire new housing, including rental and down payment assistance.
Each priority was assigned an approximate percentage of available funds to serve as a guideline, with about 5% of funds set aside for larger housing projects (five or more units) in the future. If no applications are received in any given area, those funds will roll over to the next year and be available for other community housing areas.
Applications for Measure W funding are accepted on a rolling basis. Nonprofits serving West Marin, including those not based in West Marin, are highly encouraged to apply at any time, as there is no application deadline. When evaluating applications, staff consider the identified priorities along with project feasibility, distribution of funds across the Measure W Tax Area, and overall impact on local community housing.
For more information and to access the application materials, please visit the Measure W Community Housing webpage. Questions may be emailed to CDA’s Housing & Federal Grants Division.