Affordable Housing Project in Point Reyes Station Positioned for Competitive Funding
Board considering moves at March 10 meeting to transform the long-closed former U.S. Coast Guard facility .
Marin County, CA – As the risks increase for lower-wage workers in rural West Marin to lose their long-term reliable housing, a multifamily housing project in Point Reyes Station is reaching an exciting milestone.
On March 10, the Marin County Board of Supervisors plans to consider approving the property transfer of the former U.S. Coast Guard family housing site at 100 Commodore Webster Drive for redevelopment affordable housing. Once complete, the project would become the largest multifamily complex in West Marin.
As part of its consent calendar agenda, the Board will take up the proposal for a legally binding development and disposition agreement (DDA) that would outline terms under which the County-owned land could be transferred to the developer and make the project more competitive for tax credit funds, which is anticipated to fund a significant portion of the $55.4 million project. The Board also will consider the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) staff proposals for plans for property easements, and additional County funding to support a wastewater treatment system beyond what has already been committed.
No one has lived at the 33-acre site, a half mile east of downtown Point Reyes Station, since before the Coast Guard designated it as surplus in 2014. With key support from U.S. Representative Jared Huffman, the County of Marin purchased the facility in 2019 and began working with the nonprofits Eden Housing and the Community Land Trust of Marin (CLAM) on plans for redevelopment to meet critical housing needs in the coastal areas of the county.
The existing property has 36 townhomes and a 24-room barracks that are destined for remodeling. Plans include transferring ownership of that main cluster of buildings to Tamalko Homes L.P., which is a collaboration between Eden Housing and CLAM. The rest of the property would continue to be owned by the County and include a site for a wastewater treatment system.
The proposed mix of rental housing units, from one to four bedrooms, will provide much-needed housing for seniors, families, agricultural workers, and other lower-wage earners. West Marin has a severe shortage of workforce housing options, and the conversion of the property from military personnel housing to civilian affordable units could improve living standards and quality of life for lower-earning workers.
The housing challenges in West Marin are stark: 50% of the area’s renters earn less than $88,150 for a household of three (considered very low income). An additional 25% of local households are severely burdened by housing costs, spending more than half their income on rent. Also, larger families in need of multiroom options are severely limited by existing rental choices. With those facts in mind, Marin CDA has worked with the nonprofit partners and other agencies to facilitate the repurposing of the property as affordable housing for more than a decade to respond to growing community needs.
One year ago, the Board declared a shelter crisis, which temporarily altered the County building code for unincorporated areas and enabled the addition of removable cabins or recreational vehicles as emergency shelters. It was a direct response to a settlement to end most ranching operations within the Point Reyes National Seashore, a move that is displacing dozens of ranch and dairy tenants.
Also in March 2025, the Board approved loans worth $9,483,635 toward the Commodore Webster project that will provide housing for extremely low and low-income households earning between 30% ($58,740) and 60% ($117,480) of the area median income level for Marin County. It was the fourth time the Board had authorized use of the County’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to support the Commodore Webster property and brought the total commitment to $11,990,750. These local contributions leveraged another $11 million in funds from the California Joe Serna Jr. Farmworker Housing Grant Program, which will allow for some of the units to be set aside for households with workers in agricultural production or retired from agricultural work.
More information on the long-term development plans are on the CDA website. Anyone may sign up to recent emailed updates on the project.