Talus LLC Update, July 2021
County of Marin, California sent this bulletin at 07/08/2021 04:37 PM PDTDear Community Members,
Many of you have expressed interest in learning more about a development project in Marinwood that is currently taking shape with dirt grading visible from north of Lucas Valley Road between the Highway 101 interchange and Las Gallinas Avenue. My office has been working expeditiously with County staff to compile information on a project whose approvals pre-date my time as a Supervisor but only now is coming to fruition.
To be clear, I view my role as representing you, the community members who may be impacted by this development. That starts with fully understanding the project and raising any issues. I thought it would be helpful to share my understanding of the history that led to this point, the scope of approvals and entitlements that were granted for this property in 2005, and available information about the current status.
In 2005, the County approved the Oakview Master Plan, the land division of a 106.3-acre parcel. The Master Plan allows for 28 residential units and a 150-unit assisted living facility, along with the creation of public open space and dedicated land for a future offramp to Highway 101. The land division divided the property into two parcels that would subsequently be developed separately for residential and assisted living uses.
Parcel 1 reserves 15.3 acres for 28 detached single-family residential lots (maximum home sizes range from 3,000 to 3,500 square feet, with an extra 500 square feet if a second unit is developed), 1.8 acres of public right-of-way, 34.2 acres of open space, and 0.6 acres for freeway interchange improvements, for a total of 51.9 acres.
Parcel 2 contains 11.0 acres for a 94,400 square foot assisted living facility adjacent to the freeway, 34.6 acres of open space, and 8.8 acres for freeway interchange improvements, for a total of 54.4 acres.
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Notably, prior to the Oakview Master Plan, there were 3 attempts to develop the 106-acre property. In 1983 there was an application to annex to San Rafael for 117 homes and 199,800 square feet of office space. In 1994 there was an application for 71 homes and two office buildings totaling 94,400 square feet. In 1999 a revised application was filed with 28 homes and office space. The chart below provides a comparison of the various proposals.
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The Talus Reserve, APN 164-270-07, is the residential development of 28 single-family homes where grading is currently taking place along Lucas Valley Road.
In 2009, the Marin County Planning Commission approved the Oakview Vesting Tentative Map and Precise Development Plan (PDP). These plans authorized the Talus Reserve parcel to be subdivided and developed into 28 single-family homes east of Erin Drive. Six of the 28 homes are deed-restricted affordable housing units and five of the market-rate homes are required to include Accessory Dwelling Units.
After approval of the Vesting Tentative Map and PDP, several extensions were granted in conformance with state law and the Marin County Code. The final extension set the vesting deadline to March 9, 2020, which was subsequently augmented by virtue of COVID-related state law to September 9, 2021.
On February 19, 2020, the Talus Reserve Final Map was submitted to the Marin County Surveyor and vested. Vesting the PDP must occur before September 9, 2021. However, a number of items related to PDP approval have not been fulfilled by the developer. Given the current project timeline, it is not anticipated that the vesting requirements will be fulfilled prior to the PDP expiration date. What this means:
As a result of a vested Final Map and a non-vested PDP, the size and number of lots have been finalized but the size and shape of the homes are yet to be determined. The landowner has a range of options on how to proceed including submitting a new PDP, selling any number of lots, or exploring other alternatives.
In 2020, Lafferty Communities, the developer of the Talus project, received administrative approval from the Marin County Planning Division to remove eight heritage trees and 11 protected trees on the Talus site in order to proceed with the approved development of 28 homes. The trees removed include 15 Coast Live Oaks, two Valley Oaks, one Coast Redwood, and one Black Oak.
The environmental review of the previously approved subdivision discusses the trees on site and concluded that the County’s tree removal standards will address the loss of trees on the property. Per County code the trees are to be replaced at a 2:1 ratio, and the applicants have provided landscape plans that exceed this requirement. The applicant has agreed to a total of 70 replacement trees, resulting in a 3.68:1 replacement ratio. The trees include Western Red Bud, Coast Live Oak, and Valley Oak, all native to California.
The construction of roadways and utility mains are required as part of the project. County Public Works has issued a grading permit for the developer to start the construction of these improvements. The first phase of this permit is to do the necessary grading to bring the terrain to the required elevations in order to build these improvements. Once completed the 28 single-family homes will only be accessed from Erin Drive. Access will not be available from Ellen Drive or Lucas Valley Road.
Pursuant to the assisted living aspect of the original Oakview Master Plan, in December 2018, the Board of Supervisors approved The Oaks, a proposal by a separate developer to build a residential care facility with 126 apartments and an attached memory care facility parallel to Highway 101. 75 of 126 units would be assisted living apartments and 51 would be either assisted living or independent living apartments, as determined by the facility owner before construction begins. Five affordable housing units would be provided in addition to the 126 apartments.
While this project is now entitled, there have not been any active plans to move forward with construction at this time.
If you have any questions, you can contact the Department of Public Works at DPWTalusGP@marincounty.org. A webpage specific to the grading and subdivision improvement plans will be launched soon to provide additional details.
As always, please feel free to contact my office with any questions or concerns. We will continue to provide updates on the Talus project as additional information becomes available.
Sincerely,
Damon Connolly
District 1, Marin County Board of Supervisors
3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 329, San Rafael, CA 94903
dconnolly@marincounty.org
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