Letter of support for 240 Tamal Vista Blvd project

On April 4, 2025 MEHC sent a formal letter of support for the Corte Madera project on 240 Tamal Vista Blvd. You can view it below.

Dear Corte Madera Planning Commissioners. 

The Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative (MEHC) urges the Planning Commission to approve the 240 Tamal Vista housing project. 240 Tamal Vista is a strong project and meets our project endorsement guidelines. This project provides 100% affordable housing units, including homes at the extremely low and very low income levels. Some benefits of the project include:

  • It provides 3 & 4 bedroom units, which are less prevalent in multi-family housing, providing good housing options for families.
  • It is near transit. This project is very close to transit, and bikeable to the ferry and SMART train. It is one of the most transit friendly locations in Corte Madera.
  • It is close to schools and amenities. This site is walking distance to the local High School (Redwood) and easy biking to Hall Middle School and Neil Cummins Elementary School. The site is walking distance to Trader Joe’s. It is possible to live car-free in this location, or to live as a 1-car family. This enhances the affordability of the project, as families can opt out of or reduce the second highest expense item in their budgets.
  • It offers outdoor space and amenities. We are pleased to see the developer maximize the outdoor space in the development, and to not use waivers to reduce open space.
  • Clearance for possible flooding. The developer has raised the base to account for potential flooding and impacts of sea level rise.

We are pleased to learn that the parking is decoupled from units. Given the generous parking offered, we urge the developer to designate several of its 164 parking spots as visitor spots, as there is no street parking or nearby available guest parking. Further, we strongly encourage the developer to look hard at creative solutions to increase bike parking available. This project is easy biking distance to schools, the grocery and to the ferry and SMART train. The bike infrastructure near the project is excellent, and with adequate parking, this could be a popular transit mode for residents.

We urge you to approve the project so this needed housing can be created as quickly as possible.