The final environmental review for a proposed development on Marin County’s unincorporated Strawberry peninsula is now available for public viewing and open for feedback from December 12 through January 26, 2026.
The renovation of the former Golden Gate Theological Seminary would be the county’s largest private development project in many years. The 127-acre property off Seminary Drive is owned by North Coast Land Holdings LLC, which purchased the land after the seminary relocated to Southern California in 2015.
The proposed project includes construction of a new residential care facility with up to 100 independent and 50 assisted living and memory care apartments for older adults and 337 single- and multi-family residential units that would replace a majority of the existing residential housing. Seventy of the proposed residential units would be reserved as below-market-rate housing.
Additionally, 70% of the project site area would consist of open space, trails, and opportunities for recreation (e.g., playing fields and playgrounds). The project developer also seeks approval of a daycare and fitness center that would be open to the public.
The final environmental impact report (EIR) released for review includes responses to about 160 public comment letters, including oral testimony at a public hearing, on issues such as land use, project alternatives, geotechnical concerns, storm drain systems, and traffic and transportation impacts.
The initial draft EIR for the property showed that the proposed project itself, as well as in combination with other planned projects, would result in significant and unavoidable impacts related to greenhouse gas emissions, temporary construction noise, and transportation related to vehicle miles travelled.
After additional study and analysis, which included a thorough consideration of public comments, the final EIR identified no new impacts, and none of the conclusions in the draft EIR significantly changed. The public comments were received during a 60-day review period when the draft EIR was made available to the public on July 16, 2024.
That period of time also included a Marin County Planning Commission hearing that took place on September 9, 2024, for the purpose of receiving oral comments on the adequacy of the draft EIR.
The Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) staff will bring recommendations regarding the certification of the final EIR and approval of the project to the County Planning Commission in March. The Planning Commission
will then make a recommendation for a Board of Supervisors decision. A final review by the Board of Supervisors is expected by late spring.
The development, which is in an unincorporated area of Strawberry, does not qualify for ministerial approval due to the site’s zoning and must undergo a state-mandated environmental review, discretionary permit review, and public hearings administered by CDA.
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