AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON PUBLIC LAND? Part 2

In addition to the high hurdle of public opposition, a significant barrier to creating new affordable housing, especially in Marin, is the high cost of land. In our January newsletter, we discussed California’s Surplus Lands Act, which makes affordable housing one of the top priorities for the sale of surplus public land. This month, we look at some Marin examples of the sale and lease of public lands for affordable housing.

Federal Lands
Perhaps the most famous recent example of the use of federal land for affordable housing in Marin is the Point Reyes Coast Guard Station. At one time destined to be sold to the highest bidder, the Coast Guard Station in downtown Point Reyes Station was saved by the efforts of Representative Jared Huffman and the Marin Board of Supervisors, working with the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin (CLAM). In 2014, Congressman Huffman introduced legislation requiring the Coast Guard to sell its land in Point Reyes Station to Marin County, mandating its use for affordable housing. Last year, the County closed on the purchase of the property and selected CLAM and its nonprofit partner, Eden Housing, as the developers of this property. While it will take several years of renovation before the 36 housing units are occupied, this is a success story to be celebrated.

An earlier and much larger federal property that has been localized is at Hamilton Field in Novato. This former US Airbase was developed into thousands of homes, including over 700 affordable units and a homeless shelter. The property will soon include additional supportive housing for formerly homeless veterans.

State-owned lands
The state of California, under an executive order by Governor Gavin Newson, has identified state-owned surplus parcels that could be developed for affordable housing. There are four such parcels in Marin—one in Mill Valley, one in north San Rafael, and two near San Quentin. A request for proposals (RFP) was issued for one of the San Quentin sites in late 2020 and a developer will be selected soon. The land would be leased to the developer for $1 per year.  (Photo:  one of the San Quentin proposed sites)

City-owned lands
In 2020, Mill Valley’s Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) proactively embarked on a process to identify city-owned parcels that could be sold to raise funds or donated to a developer, in either case restricted to create affordable housing. After an exhaustive review, the City found 71 city-owned parcels, but only four of them were large or flat enough to support housing development. Two near the golf course seemed the most viable candidates to sell to raise funds for development; however,  one has become part of Scott Highlands Park. After considerable neighborhood opposition, the City of Mill Valley was forced to shelve the idea of selling these parcels. But, they did opt to fund a consultant to further explore the possibility of selling land to fund affordable housing or donating land for this purpose.

Facing a pandemic-related deficit, Novato is looking to sell four surplus properties, including the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters at the former Hamilton Air Base, to generate revenue. According to the Surplus Lands Act, the City must offer any surplus land to buyers who plan to build affordable housing, school facilities, parks or open space before placing it on the open market. If the City finds no buyers in these categories by June 9, 2021, the properties will go on the open market.

School and College District Land
There have also been a number of attempts to develop “teacher housing” for educators and other school staff who cannot afford the high cost of housing in Marin, providing them with subsidized housing on district-owned land. Though one of the most celebrated developers of “teacher housing” in California, Thompson Dorfman LLC, is located in Marin, no Marin school or college district has yet been able to create extensive housing on its land to date. (See MEHC’s August 2018 newsletter.) This may soon change. Novato Unified School District recently issued a call for developers to build workforce housing on district-owned land. The College of Marin has also explored developing workforce housing.

Sanitary District Land
Another public parcel that has considerable potential for affordable housing development is Ross Valley Sanitary District’s former wastewater treatment site at Larkspur Landing. This 10.7-acre property is already zoned for 127 residential units, a hotel and other facilities. The RVSD board held a special workshop on this parcel in December 2020, and another on how the Surplus Lands Act would impact the sale of this property in January 2021. (Photo:  RVSD)

Conclusion
While there have been many attempts to use public land for affordable housing in Marin, either through sale or lease, relatively few of these projects have come through so far. With new state emphasis on inventorying and publicizing surplus land, it is possible that we will see more in the near future. It may be incumbent upon affinity groups – school districts and teachers for example – to help focus the public conversation on addressing an immediate and critical need, and use the tools offered by the Public Lands Act to help provide solutions. MEHC believes this is an important opportunity to increase affordable housing in Marin and we’ll continue to report on this issue.
Photo credits:  Pt. Reyes Coast Guard Property, Kiki La Porta; San Quentin, Mill Valley, Novato:  Marin IJ; others as noted.