San Rafael, CA – With new funding approved December 7, housing proposals at three Marin County properties will move forward and lead to dozens of new homes in a county experiencing a shortage of units for lower-income households.
Planned projects in San Rafael, Novato, and Point Reyes Station each will receive loans of $459,528 with the grant awards authorized by the Marin County Board of Supervisors on December 7. Half the funds for each allotment ($229,764) will come from the County’s Affordable Housing Fund and match the amount coming from the State’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA). The funding is coordinated by the Marin County Community Development Agency’s Housing and Federal Grants Division.
An architectural rendering of the renovated building at 190 Mill Street in San Rafael's Canal neighborhood.The three projects are:
- Affordable housing development at the former U.S. Coast Guard facility at 100 Commodore Webster Drive in Point Reyes Station, being developed by the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin (CLAM) and Eden Housing;
- Homeward Bound of Marin’s construction of new veteran and workforce housing at 826 State Access Road in the Hamilton area of southern Novato, and;
- Homeward Bound’s expansion of additional emergency shelter beds and permanent supportive housing at 190 Mill Street in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael.
The Affordable Housing Fund is designed to support projects in all jurisdictions in Marin, including towns and cities, but with a priority for multifamily projects in unincorporated areas that house those earning at or below 60% of the area median income, or about $109,000 for a household of four.
PLHA funds are the result of California Senate Bill 2, passed in 2017 to address the state’s housing shortage and high housing costs. In 2020, the Board of Supervisors approved a five-year expenditure plan for PLHA funds to match the County’s Affordable Housing Fund. The County anticipates receiving a total of $4,353,426 over the five-year period.
A countywide Priority Setting Committee, coordinated by CDA staff, must approve PLHA program goals. Committee members include elected officials from Marin cities and towns, in addition to members representing the interests of protected classes from all over Marin.
“Award of these funds will allow CLAM/Eden Housing and Homeward Bound of Marin to develop important housing projects that are much-needed in the community,” said Leelee Thomas, CDA Deputy Director of Housing and Federal Grants. “Matching PLHA funds doubles the impact of our Marin County Affordable Housing Fund, which will help the County leverage additional state, federal and philanthropic dollars to increase the supply of affordable homes in Marin.”
In West Marin, the County has pursued conversion of the long-vacant Coast Guard buildings into affordable housing to accommodate lower-income laborers – many of whom work on farms and ranches – and their families. No one has lived on the 32-acre site since the Coast Guard designated it as surplus in 2014. It was acquired by the County of Marin from the federal government in December 2019 for $4.3 million, and the purchase agreement includes language that restricts the property’s use to public benefit. There are 36 townhomes, a 24-room barracks, a dining hall, a kitchen, and several ancillary buildings at the property, which is a half mile east of downtown Point Reyes Station. CLAM and Eden Housing, the chosen developers, are collaborating with CDA staff on a project design and site layout for the rehabilitation of the existing facilities.
In the Canal neighborhood, Homeward Bound has operated the Mill Street facility as a center for people experiencing homelessness since 1986. The revamping of the facility would expand it to four floors with a parking structure, an emergency shelter with more than 40 beds, and 32 studio units. Homeward Bound is the primary provider of homeless shelters and services for homeless families and individuals in Marin.
In Hamilton, Homeward Bound plans to develop military veteran and workforce housing on a 2.8-acre site adjacent to the nonprofit’s main facility. Plans are for 24 one-bedroom units for veterans and 26 one-bedroom units of affordable workforce units plus a job training facility.
Learn more about CDA housing’s program or the federal grants program on the County website.