San Rafael, CA – Nonprofit housing developers are invited to pitch proposals to the County of Marin to convert a long-vacant facility in Point Reyes Station into some form of public benefit, including needed affordable housing for West Marin residents.
The vacant former U.S. Coast Guard facility is a half mile east of downtown Point Reyes Station.
The site, formerly home to U.S. Coast Guard personnel and their families, is being acquired by the County of Marin from the federal government. The Marin County Board of Supervisors in September
unanimously approved a $4.3 million purchase agreement, which includes language that restricts the use of the 32-acre site to public benefit. Escrow closes on the transaction at the end of December.
The Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) opened a request for proposals and a statement of qualifications from nonprofit developers on November 20. Proposals will be accepted through January 21, 2020.
There are 36 townhomes, a 24-room barracks, a dining hall, a kitchen, and several ancillary buildings at the property on Commodore Webster Drive, a half mile east of downtown Point Reyes Station. No one has lived at the site since the Coast Guard designated it as surplus in 2014.
CDA planners have worked with a Community Advisory Working Group the past several years to articulate West Marin residents’ preferred vision for the site. The points include providing affordable rental housing, partly for agricultural workers and their families, and integrating other public benefit uses into the existing Point Reyes Station neighborhood. The published request for proposals generally reflects the vision of the working group.
The chosen developer will collaborate with CDA staff on a project design and site layout for the rehabilitation of the existing facilities. An on-site wastewater treatment facility is a top priority as well. The project will be subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
CDA plans an optional site visit in December as part of the proposal review process, which should take about two months. A selection committee eventually will recommend one or more entities to the Marin County Board of Supervisors, which would have to approve a development agreement and professional services agreement.
West Marin has a severe shortage of workforce housing options, and the conversion of the Coast Guard property into affordable units could improve living standards and quality of life for lower-earning workers. In Marin, a household income of $129,150 qualifies a four-person household as low-income, and an income of $80,600 qualifies that same household as very low-income. The qualifying income levels are based on a percentage of the median household income in Marin, which, for a family of four, is $136,800 as of April 2019.
More information about the Coast Guard property project can be found at www.marincounty.org/coastguard, including answers to frequently asked questions, more about the Community Advisory Working Group, and an archive of community meetings about the property. Anyone may subscribe to receive e-mailed updates from Marin CDA about the Coast Guard property, and questions may be emailed to CDA staff.