Just over two months after issuing an intent to purchase a vacant lot in Point Reyes Station, the Marin County Board of Supervisors will consider a purchase and sale agreement of the lot at 6th and B streets.
If approved at the August 26 meeting, the acquisition would be the first step toward making the site available as a homeless shelter, as defined in the State of California shelter crisis legislation, for people facing housing displacement, including displaced ranch workers and those living in substandard housing. The action follows the January 2025 settlement between ranchers, environmentalists, and the National Park Service requiring 12 ranches in Point Reyes National Seashore to close and households to vacate by early 2026 – a factor that led the Board to declare a shelter crisis in March.
If approved, this first step would allow the County to begin planning for the operation of a homeless shelter on site. Specific details about infrastructure, parking, and environmental safeguards will be developed through a later process, as well as requirements for management of the shelter.
The approximately one-acre flat lot on the northwest corner of the unincorporated village is two blocks away from Shoreline Highway and the downtown business district. Recognizing the urgent need for interim shelter for local workforce in West Marin, the Board and the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) plan to coordinate with the nonprofit Community Land Trust Association of West Marin (CLAM) for the installation of temporary homes on wheels on the lot at 6th and B.
CLAM is in contract to purchase the property from House in Point Reyes LLC. The Supervisors approved a resolution reflecting its intent to buy the land from CLAM during their June 10 meeting, initiating a back-to-back escrow process. If the County approves the proposed purchase and sale agreement, the County and CLAM will formalize other agreements necessary for the deployment and operation of homes on wheels during the shelter crisis. Those agreements would come before the Board at a later date for approval. The County and CLAM also have a shared long-term goal of turning the property into permanent affordable homes, subject to the standard review and approval process.
West Marin has a severe shortage of homes for lower-income households, many of which are Latino families who have lived in the area for decades. More than 150 residents who qualify as extremely low-income are experiencing homelessness due to substandard housing conditions or are at risk of losing their homes as a result of displacement from ranches. Many private, historic ranches supply housing to local families, some of which is substandard and in structures considered dangerous to health and safety.
The County’s declaration of the emergency shelter crisis in unincorporated Marin allows for the expedited approval of temporary homeless shelters on sites owned by the County. The state law authorizing the shelter crisis declaration — Government Code section 8698 et seq — provides this expedited mechanism for homeless shelters but not for permanent housing, and ensures the full review of such shelters for the health and safety of residents and the surrounding environment.
The lot at 6th and B was selected as a location for temporary housing after a detailed, community-led site evaluation process that prioritized proximity to schools, employment centers, public transit, and essential services.
“The County and CLAM recognize the local community’s interest in this location and are committed to ongoing engagement with neighbors to ensure transparency and provide updates and plans move forward,” said CDA Director Sarah Jones.
A recently published housing needs study demonstrates a community reliance on the lower-income workforce to operate West Marin’s farms, schools, nonprofits, restaurants, and businesses. Without more affordable housing solutions, the economic destabilization of those families would cause them to relocate away from the region, creating local labor shortages and disrupting a rural economy that relies on tourism and agricultural production.
CDA staff manages the Marin County Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which was created in 1988 to increase the stock of permanently affordable homes in the county. The fund’s mission is to support deeply affordable housing and expand access to stable homeownership for lower-income families, particularly those from historically underserved communities. The fund is used regularly to help affordable housing developers build and preserve homes for lower income individuals and households. The County has committed over $42 million and added more than 680 affordable housing units since 2015 through new construction, acquisition, conversion, or preservation.
Leave a Reply