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MarinIJ: Marin Voice: Housing Laws Are Helping, But Progress Is Slow

The 21st century ā€œROAD to Affordable Housing Actā€ became law with nearly unanimous bipartisan support. Industry groups, unions, local governments and housing advocates rallied behind the effort. The law modernizes federal housing programs. It improves regulatory streamlining, eliminates restrictions on build-to-rent housing developers (who have added 70,000 housing units per year), simplifies rules for manufactured…

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Corte Madera Approves Housing for Seniors at Former Best Western Hotel

The Corte Madera Town Council has approved a housing project for elders at the site of the Best Western Hotel. The project at 56 Madera Blvd. will include 118 assisted-living apartments, 32 memory-care apartments, 118 parking spaces and amenities like a media room and a space for physical therapy. The plans also call for a pool…

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Press Democrat: Spirit Residential Aborts Mill Valley Housing Project for Elders

A developer with an approved plan to build a five-story residential care center with 106 apartments in unincorporated Mill Valley has withdrawn the project. ā€œSpirit Residential has determined that the project may ultimately undergo material changes from the configuration reflected in the current project approval,ā€ Ali Shabahangi, a company manager, wrote in a May 29…

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Marin County Supervisors Are Set On Tuesday to Approve up to $41 million in Bond Financing for the Affordable Housing Portion of the Long-Planned Oak Hill Development Near Larkspur

The proposed financing would support construction of 115 affordable apartments by nonprofit developer Eden Housing on an 8.5-acre vacant site at 193 East Sir Francis Drake Blvd., just east of Marin Country Mart. The public hearing is required under the federal Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act before the California Municipal Finance Authority can issue…

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Dick Spotswood: Compromises Strengthen Strawberry Development Plan

Americans denigrate the art of compromise. Today, an ā€œall or nothingā€ mentality predominates. Compromise is a sign of weakness, ā€œselling outā€ or a betrayal of principles. Fortunately, some in Marin have shown they still appreciate the value of a fair compromise. Deborah Tannen in Politico quotes ā€œThe Great Compromiserā€ Henry Clay. The legendary member of…

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MarinIJ: Major Strawberry Development Project on Brink of Approval

The stage is set for Marin County supervisors to end a decade-long fight by granting final approval to a major development proposal in Strawberry. The supervisors are scheduled on Tuesday to take up the North Coast Land Holdings proposal for the 127-acre former Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary campus. The proposal calls for 337 residences…

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The Mill Valley City Council Unanimously Mill Approved a Series of Zoning Code Updates on June 1st That Officials Hope Will Lure Developers

Mill Valley has updated its affordable housing regulations to encourage small-scale projects. The actions include raising the threshold at which developers must include an affordable dwelling from four residences to seven. For projects of seven or more residences, the city is requiring 15% be affordable, in contrast to 25% before. It is also waiving fees…

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Marin Voice: More Can Be Done to Build the Housing We Need

Jenny Silva We need more affordable housing. Many residents are pleading for it, and the state is requiring that Marin permit at least 14,000 new housing units by 2031. May is Affordable Housing Month, so I would like to assess how we are doing. Some have the impression that Marin is in the midst of…

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Marin IJ: Housing projects Near San Quentin Face More Complications

In the face of mounting difficulties, developers want to revise a construction plan for two major housing projects on state land near San Quentin prison. The change stems from an additional delay in financing and environmental clearances for one of the projects along East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The Marin County Public Financing Authority, a…

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Planting the Future: The Outdoor Art Club Gets Ready for Its Next Century

Planting the Future

If you’ve walked past the shingled building tucked behind the wisteria-covered gate at 1 West Blithedale Avenue lately, you may have noticed something: the Outdoor Art Club has been busy. In fact, over the past three years, the Club — one of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce’s longtime members — has quietly undertaken a once-in-a-century effort to preserve and renew one of downtown’s architectural gems. The club has hosted generations of civic gatherings, performances, celebrations, and community conversations – but few people remember that in the 1930s it narrowly escaped demolition when the City proposed turning the site into a parking lot. Now, the Club’s members have once again rolled up their sleeves to care for this landmark — this time by ensuring it meets modern safety and health standards while preserving its historic character.

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