Marin Voice: Fire-Resilient Housing Should Be Part of Wildfire Planning

One of the most common concerns arguing against new housing in Marin is that “more housing means more wildfire risk.” The Bay Area has always had a fire season, and the accelerating impacts of climate change are only making that worse. As longtime Marin County residents and climate change advocates, we share the desire to improve and protect the wellbeing of Marin communities.

At Call Marin Home and Greenbelt Alliance, we believe that we have to build housing with our climate reality and future in mind. New housing doesn’t have to mean more wildfire risk — in fact, done right, it can reduce it. The following three practices demonstrate how we can build a more resilient Marin through smarter housing.

First, location matters. The safest places to build new housing are within our existing cities and towns, a practice known as infill development. The alternative is continued sprawl into the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where development meets open space and wildfire risk is significantly greater.

Between 1990 and 2020, homebuilding in the WUI increased by 25% in Sonoma County, 28% in Napa County, 41% in Solano County and roughly 40% statewide. Every new subdivision built farther into fire-prone landscapes places more people and homes in harm’s way. It also leads to habitat fragmentation and increases infrastructure costs, while making it more difficult to complete needed vegetation management to reduce fire risk.

If we want to reduce wildfire risk, we must build more homes within our existing communities. Infill development creates needed homes for community members while keeping people farther from the areas most vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire.

Second, modern building standards significantly reduce fire risk. Fire-resistant roofing and siding; ember-resistant vents; automatic sprinkler systems; fire-rated walls and doors; tempered-glass windows; and defensible site design are now standard requirements under California’s building code.

Research from The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that multifamily buildings constructed since 2000 have substantially better fire safety outcomes than older housing because of these improvements.The vast majority of Marin’s housing stock was built well before today’s fire-resistant construction standards existed.

Safety is the No. 1 concern on the minds of our firefighters and emergency planners, and we have been reassured by fire chiefs at local meetings that new infill multifamily housing developments sited and built to code will not cause increased risk if people follow evacuation protocols. In fact, Northgate Mall in San Rafael, which is being redeveloped for mixed-use housing and incorporating updated building standards, would serve as a likely evacuation location if a fire were to impact Marin.

Additionally, Marin firefighters are constantly working to develop the best “worst-case-scenario” plans. Following the 2025 Los Angeles fires, evacuation routes and assessments of Marin preparedness were reevaluated and improved.

We are fortunate to benefit from the leadership of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority, Fire Safe Marin, and local fire departments. They are demonstrating how we reduce fire risk through projects funded by Measure C. And it’s paying off. Data shows that Marin has among the lowest rate of insurance non-renewals in the Bay Area.

Finally, community connection is the greatest predictor of resiliency after emergencies. It is mutual aid and grassroots action that repeatedly come to the forefront in communities in times of crisis.

Building new multifamily homes in existing communities creates a more vibrant and connected community. It places families closer to jobs, schools, parks and shopping. It enables more interactions between neighbors and creates less car-dependent spaces.

Walkability rebuilds the kind of social connections that keep communities healthy and resilient in the face of climate change. Neighbors who know each other are more likely to support one another when fire and other climate impacts occur. Connected communities counter the loneliness epidemic, improve our health and create a more resilient future.

We encourage Marin residents and leaders to prioritize and support climate SMART (sustainable, mixed use, affordable, resilient and transit oriented) housing construction on infill and transit-adjacent sites rather than WUI parcels. It is also important for residents to support new developments in planning and city council meetings.

Marin is a wonderful place to call home, blessed with a rich community and extraordinary natural beauty. Concern about Marin’s fire safety in our changing climate is natural, and being engaged in creating locally led solutions is important.

Research studies and the practical experience of professionals show that we can tackle the housing crisis while simultaneously centering fire safety. By supporting infill housing development and engaging the broader Marin community in working toward a greater level of preparedness, we can build a more climate-resilient Marin together.

Jessie Rountree is a resilience manager at Greenbelt Alliance, an Oakland-based nonprofit organization. Carmela Davis is a housing specialist at the Call Marin Home nonprofit organization.