Letter to Marin Board of Supervisors to support funding request for Marinwood Plaza

On December 12, 2024 MEHC sent the Marin Board of Supervisors a letter urging the approval of funds requested by the Marinwood Plaza developers. You can read the letter below.

Dear Esteemed Marin County Supervisors, 

The Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative (MEHC) advocates for projects and policies that advance affordable housing, environmental sustainability, and social justice. The Marinwood Plaza project is an important Marin County project that deserves full support to move forward. 

We urge the Board of Supervisors to approve funding for the full amount requested by the applicant – $7.5 Million, rather than the staff recommendation of $6.2 Million. 

The Marinwood Plaza Project is one of the strongest projects we have reviewed. We consider affordability, environmental benefits and racial equity. Some of the many benefits include the following:

• Affordability – this project provides 124 affordable units, including units at the 30% of Area Median Income. This is a very strong project from an affordability standpoint. 
• Environmental benefits – this is an infill project, redeveloping already developed land. Building multi-family housing on an already developed land with existing utilities provides many environmental benefits. We preserve existing habitats through redevelopment. It is an excellent location as it pertains to sea level rise. It is a mixed use project, reducing the need to drive for daily activities, and it’s an excellent location for access to transit. 
• Racial justice – we advocate for more affordable housing options in high resource areas. 

Given the strength of this project, we strongly urge the Board of Supervisors to support the project to the level requested. We would like to see Marin County do everything in its power to get this project built as soon as possible. Streamlining funding is one thing that we can do.