By Katy St. Clair, Bay City News Foundation

The perennial issue of affordable housing in Marin County went before the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 13 as they heard a presentation about a possible housing development in unincorporated San Quentin, part of which would be workforce housing reserved for local teachers and county staff.

So-called affordable “workforce housing” is an idea Marin has been grappling with for a long time, but an idea which supervisors say is now past due. The county is having problems retaining and filling jobs in schools and at the county level, according to Supervisor Damon Connolly, who spoke about it at the meeting.

Connolly said that there are currently 300 unfilled positions in county schools, and a lack of affordable housing is a leading reason for the shortage.

“The cost of living is simply too high,” he said, adding that these employees spend roughly half of their income on rent.

The Oak Hill affordable housing project proposed to be built in San Quentin Village would create 250 units, 135 for low- to moderate-income families and teachers (75%) and some county employees (25%).

The county is seeking a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between the county, the Marin County Office of Education, and the developer, Education Housing Partners (EHP). The JPA would help EHP get tax-exempt financing.

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San Quentin is of course most known for its state prison, but the area surrounding the facility, also known as San Quentin Village, currently has about 40 single-family homes and one condominium. It also has sweeping views of the Bay.

Oak Hill would be built on the north side of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard on the 8-acre site of an old firing range, according to EHP. The units would range in size from 800 to 1,300 square feet. Once built, the developer said it would begin discussions with nearby Larkspur to provide services for residents.

The workforce housing would have a few requirements for hopeful renters, including a lottery to parcel out the tenancies. Renters must be low- to moderate-income by Marin County standards, which isn’t a hard category to fall into for teachers or some county employees. Also, the tenants must agree to a five- to 10-year stay and, should they become separated from their job, they have six months to move out.

In a staff report presented to the supervisors in preparation for Tuesday’s discussion, the county said that approving the JPA and its ensuing housing project would be a positive equity move because many of the people who would get the housing are “more racially and ethnically diverse” than the rest of the county.

Also, there would be minimal fiscal impact on the county because costs would be covered and managed by the JPA, not Marin County. Rents at Oak Hill would be less than market rate with the help of state-donated land, grants, charitable contributions and tax-exempt financing.

The project will come back to the board at the end of the year for formal approval and if all goes to plan, people will be able to move into their new homes by the end of 2025.

All the supervisors who spoke at the meeting used the word “exciting” to describe the project.

Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters said she hoped this development would stand as a model that could be replicated throughout the county.

Supervisor Katie Rice concurred.

“It’s something to build on,” she said. “No pun intended.”

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